400 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 
[Sess. 
XXVI. — Treatment of Aneurysm by Electrolysis. 
By Dr Dawson Turner. 
(MS. received June 1, 1908. Bead same date.) 
Many attempts have been made to utilise electrolysis in aneurysms, 
especially in those thoracic ones that are not amenable to ordinary surgical 
treatment ; it has been hoped that the clotting which occurs around the 
poles might serve as a nucleus for further coagulation and deposits of fibrin, 
and that the aneurysm cavity might in this way become partially filled up. 
Such attempts have not met with much success hitherto, and the purpose of 
this research has been to endeavour to determine by experiments on blood 
serum outside the body what the actual effect of electrolysis is so far as 
regards clotting. Various methods of electrolysing the blood in an aneurysm 
have been used by surgeons. Ciniselli introduced needles connected with 
both poles, and reversed the direction of the current every five minutes ; of 
38 cases so treated, 27 were ameliorated, but none were cured. In the uni- 
polar method one pole only was introduced, and the other was connected with 
an indifferent pad placed in the vicinity. The difficult question was which 
pole to introduce. The positive pole gave the firmest clot, but it was thought 
that it might be difficult to withdraw, and that haemorrhage or even rupture 
of the vessel might follow. The negative pole gave a large frothy clot made 
up of hydrogen bubbles, which was not only of little value in setting up a 
stable coagulation, but was thought to be dangerous from the risk of emboli. 
Dr John Duncan used the bipolar method, and introduced both poles, keeping 
them both well in the middle of the blood stream, but later on took a further 
step and gently cauterised the inner wall of the sac with the positive 
electrode. He was kind enough to write to me the following letter in regard 
to the results of his twenty-six years’ experience of electrolysis: — “In 
aneurysm I have made a new departure which I think promises well. I had 
found that while electrolysis might be used with complete success in small 
external aneurysm and in the secondary sacs of aortic aneurysm, I did not 
obtain with it those occasional brilliant cures which had been observed. In 
taking away the risks of haemorrhage and inflammation of the sac wall, I had 
also greatly diminished the curative power of the agent. In short, I came to 
see that the cure had been in most cases due to the very cauterisation of the 
sac which had been thought to be so dangerous. I had no deaths, but none of 
the old sudden cures ; I had trusted for cure to the coagulation, the effect of 
which is slight, and had eliminated cauterisation. I determined, therefore,. 
