30 Dr. Wilson Philip on the effects of galvanism 
merits, because, independently of the principal object in view 
in making them, they point out two circumstances of import- 
ance in judging of the modus operand i of galvanism in asth- 
matic cases. 
The first was made on an unusually intelligent lady, of 
about thirty-five years of age, who had for many years 
laboured under habitual asthma, than whom I have known 
none more capable of giving a distinct account of their feel- 
ings. Her breathing was very much oppressed at the time 
that she first used galvanism. The immediate effect was, 
that she breathed with ease. She said, she had not breathed 
so well for several years. Part of the relief she obtained, 
proved permanent, and, when she was galvanised once a 
day for about ten minutes, she suffered little dyspnoea at any 
time. After she had been galvanised for eight or ten days, 
I deceived her in the manner just mentioned. The deception 
was complete. She told me to increase or lessen the force of 
the galvanism, as she was accustomed to do, according to the 
sensation it produced. I obeyed her directions by increasing 
or lessening the force with which I scratched the neck with 
the wire. After I had done this for five minutes, she said the 
galvanism did not relieve her as usual, and that she felt the 
state of her breathing the same as when the operation was 
begun. I then allowed the galvanism to pass through the 
chest, but only through the upper part of it, the wire in front 
being applied about the middle of the sternum. She soon 
said that she felt a little relief ; but although it was continued 
in this way for ten minutes, the relief was imperfect. I then 
directed her to apply the wire in front to the pit of the 
stomach, so that the galvanism passed through the whole 
