401 
1907-8.] Treatment of Aneurysm by Electrolysis. 
about three years ago, to gently cauterise with the positive electrode the 
inner wall of the sac, and I have now had two very satisfactory results by 
this method.” Dr John Duncan was therefore of opinion that the coagulat- 
ing effect of the electrolysis was slight, and that it was necessary to 
cauterise (really to prick and slightly injure, for no cauterising effect worth 
mentioning would be produced under the conditions of his experiment) the 
wall of the sac as well in order to favour the process of clotting. A more 
recent method is that known as the Moore-Corradi, and it consists essentially 
in the introduction into the aneurysm of several feet of wire and of the 
passage of a current through the wire into the blood ; the other electrode is 
placed on an indifferent spot. The wire is always made the positive pole 
for the two reasons already mentioned. The wire used may be of silver, 
gold, platinum, or iron. Dr Stewart of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Medical 
Journal, November 12, 1898) writes : — “ Silver, gold, or platinum wire is un- 
doubtedly the preferable material. It should be introduced through a 
thoroughly insulated needle, and be so drawn as to assume snarled spiral 
coils inside the sac.” Dr Stevenson ( Electrolysis in Surgery, p. 10) writes : — 
“ In the electrolysis of aneurysms additional advantage is obtained by the 
needles being composed of steel, for a chloride of iron is formed if the 
needle be made positive, and in addition to the coagulating effect of the 
positive pole we have the coagulating influence of the chloride of iron.” 
Professor S. Leduc ( Les Ions et les Medications ioniques, p. 28), however, 
states that “ zinc is the best coagulant and very superior to platinum ” ; he 
showed the writer an experiment of this nature. 
This experiment has been repeated by me on an extended scale. A large 
number of electrodes of different materials were prepared and were used to 
electrolyse blood serum. These are some of the results in tabular form : — 
Anode. 
Cathode. 
Pt electrodes 
Ag „ 
Ni 
Fe 
Pb 
Cu 
Zn „ 
Bubbles of gas which rise en masse 
' 33 33 33 ’3 • 
Fair amount of gaseous bubbles . 
Very few bubbles of gas .... 
Precipitate forming skin ; a few bubbles 
Green precipitate ; a few bubbles 
Firm glove-like precipitate which holds on to 
the electrode ; no gas at all 
Much gas. 
5? 
)) 
V 
5? 
5? 
An examination of the table tells us that the negative poles all give off 
gas freely, but cause no precipitation. 
The positive poles of platinum, silver, and nickel give off gas, but cause 
no real precipitation. 
VOL. XXVIII. 
26 
