92 THERAPEUTIC EXPERIMENTS. 



good deal of rheumatic tooth-ache, which had affected 

 his otherwise perfectly sound teeth and refused to yield 

 to any prescribed remedy. The experiments with my 

 new voltaic inductor led me to hit upon the idea of 

 trying, whether the variable currents produced by it 

 could not remove the intolerable pain or at least dimi- 

 nish it. if conducted through the roots of the teeth. This 

 was actually the case with a particularly painful front 

 tooth. The pain was at the first moment intense, but 

 then suddenly quite ceased. 



With the great force of will which at all times 

 characterized my brother Frederick he at once pro- 

 ceeded to send alternating currents through all the 

 roots, and thereby obtained entire exemption from 

 pain, which he had not experienced for Aveeks. Un- 

 fortunately however on the second day the pains 

 returned. By repeated application of electricity their 

 cessation was again effected, but the ensiling painless 



o o 1 



period became shorter, and at last the remedial agency 

 altogether failed. This first attempt within my know- 

 ledge to employ galvanism for therapeutic purposes 

 inspired me with a certain distrust of this particular 

 application of the electric current. It appeared as if 

 its action were only temporarily, not permanently, 

 curative. 



The ensuing autumn of 1848 was to me an ex- 

 ceedingly interesting and exciting one. The line to 

 Frankfort on the Main, where the German Parliament 

 held its sittings and the vicar-general of the empire had 

 his residence, was to be completed for political reasons 



