ACTION OF INTERRUPTED AND CONTINUOUS CURRENTS. 191 



We shall see the importance of this fundamental division, if we 

 recall the electro-physiological principles which distinguish direct 

 localized muscular electrization from muscular electrization by 

 reflex action, and wliicli have been already laid down. In the 

 former mode, indeed, all the anatomical elements of the organ 

 acted upon are excited peripherally, as also its local innervation, 

 or, in other words, its local circulation and its nutrition. In the 

 latter, points of the nervous centres are chiefly and irregularly 

 excited by the electrization of certain zones that stand in reflex 

 relation to them. Every one will understand that these prin- 

 ciples are perfectly applicable to localized muscular galvaniza- 

 tion, and to muscular galvanization by reflex action. 



III. — Eesults of my investigations into the therapeutic 



APPLICATION OF DIRECT LOCALIZED MUSCULAR GALVANIZATION 

 BY INTERMITTENT CURRENTS. 



A. — Localized muscular galvanization is practised in exactly 

 the same manner as localized muscular faradization. The same 

 precepts that are set forth in Chapter II., and the same rheo- 

 phores, are applicable to it. 



I must, nevertheless, recall the fact that, unlike localized faradi- 

 zation, intermittent galvanization cannot produce contraction of 

 muscle without at the same time exerting a calorific and electro- 

 lytic action upon the skin, and that the more energetically, the 

 longer the rheophores remain in contact with the same point of 

 the cutaneous surface. For this reason, I have been careful to 

 change the place of the rheophores after each intermittence, by 

 moving tliem over points corresponding to the masses of muscle 

 to be galvanized. By thus proceeding, the cutaneous excitation 

 is much diminshed. 



B. — It is fitting to mention here the differential effects of the 

 intermittences of induction currents, which appear to render 

 difficult their study as compared with galvanization by interrupted 

 currents ; and I will explain how I have overcome this difficulty. 

 "We know that eacli intermission of the galvanic current produces 

 a muscular contraction, at the completion and at the interruption 

 of the circuit, but less strongly at the latter than at the former, 

 without changing the direction of the current ; and, on the other 

 hand, it will be remembered that the contrary occurs, for induc- 

 tion currents, at the completion and interruption of the circuit ; 

 the current going in an opposite direction, and producing an 

 essentially different electro-physiological action, as far as the 

 influence of the direction of currents is concerned. It seemed 

 therefore difficult, if not impossible, to compare the interrupted 



