ACTION OF INTEREUPTED AND CONTINUOUS CURRENTS. 199 



and the arm extend itself, or sometimes, on the contrary, the 

 sj)asm show itself in the flexors. I have sometimes even seen 

 localized faradization, in these conditions, whether it was cutaneous 

 or muscular, produce analogous spasms if it were practised pain- 

 fully. 



In fine, it follows from the facts set forth above : 1. that, in the 

 morbid conditions under discussion, the power to produce reflex 

 spasm in the antagonists of the contracted muscles, and often 

 even in the latter themselves, is ajpropertij common to inost excitants, 

 (an acute and sudden excitation of the skin, an emotion, a yawn, 

 a sneeze, and lastly the excitation produced by the passage of a 

 continuous current through a nerve-trunk, especially if the 

 operation is painful) ; 2. consequently, that to call these reflex 

 galvano-tonic contractions has no foundation in reason. 



(h). Is there, then, any occasion to seek a way so circuitous, so 

 imaginary, in order to explain the therapeutic action of reflex and 

 continuous galvanization of nerve-trunks, in the treatment of 

 contractions? The paralyzing or hyposthenizing action of de- 

 scending continuous currents upon nerve-trunks, discovered by 

 Eckhart,^ would afford a better reason for their effect against 

 contractions. It was this paralyzing projDerty of the continuous 

 descending currents which originally suggested to Remak the first 

 idea of their application in pathological conditions. The idea was 

 rational and happy, but it has been wholly spoilt by his imagina- 

 tion. 



With regard to the therapeutic influence of the continuous 

 currents against the paralytic state which accompanies the con- 

 tractions, it may be explained by the reflex excitation of the 

 nervous centres that is produced by this kind of galvanization. 



(c). The therapeutic theory of this method of galvanization 

 would here be of little consequence, if it really cured the paralytic 

 contractions consecutive to cerebral haemorrhage. Is it true, is it 

 possible, that it does cure them ? Into this it has been necessary 

 for me to examine, and I have made it the subject of experimental 

 research. 



Every one knows, or in the present day should know, after the 

 admirable researches of MM. Charcot and Bouchard,^ that these 

 contractions are symptomatic of the inflammatory state of the 

 secondary sclerosis of certain nervous bundles which, when 

 the optic thalami or corpora striata are the seats of haemorrhage, 



" Eckhart, Beltrdge zur Anatomie und ' cord (^Archives g^n€rales de Medecine, 

 Physiologie. Giessen, 1855. j 1866 et 1867), was the first to consider 



* I should say here that M. C. 11. ' the iserniaBeiit contractious consecutive 

 Bouchard, in his excellent memoir upon to cerebral haemorrhage as symptomatic 

 the secondary degenerations of the spinal of secondary sclerosis of the cord. 



