On the medical use of galvanisation and faradisation / by Julius Althaus, M.D., member of the Royal College of Physicians; fellow of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society; senior physician to the Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis.

  • Althaus, Julius, 1833-1900
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the medical use of galvanisation and faradisation / by Julius Althaus, M.D., member of the Royal College of Physicians; fellow of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society; senior physician to the Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/76 (page 22)
    not regain its functions, electricity is the most effective means to restore its obedience to the orders of volition. Case XYI.—An unmarried lady, aged 30, of delicate constitution and sedentary habits, was sent to me by Dr. Thorowgood in June, 1868. She had had a railway accident, near Basle, in Switzerland, in Septem¬ ber, 1867, when the carriage in which she was seated fell down a steep bank, and was upset. She was stunned for a time, but soon recovered herself. Her right collar-bone, however, was broken, and the skin and subjacent parts on the lower half of the right forearm were severely lacerated. For a fortnight after the accident, she felt (pins and needles) in her arms and legs, but had not done so lately. The fracture of the collar-bone healed within two months, and the injury to the soft parts of the forearm likewise. Three deep scars are to be seen on the front of the latter. There were all the symptoms of certain branches of the nerves of the arm having considerably suffered. Cutaneous sensibility in the lower part of the forearm, the hand, and the fingers was considerably diminished ; the third finger being the worst in this respect. Concerning the sense of touch, it was found that the two points of the sesthesiometer were felt at the proper distance in the first, second, and little finger, but not in the third, where only one point was felt. Electro-cutaneous sensibility, both from Faradisation and Galvanisation, was likewise impaired, more especially in the third finger. The interossei and lumbrical muscles of the right hand were weak and wasted; the intra-metacarpal spaces being hollow, and the bones protruding. Farado-muscular contractility was much diminished, but nowhere completely lost; galvano-muscular contractility was somewhat increased. The patient experienced much difficulty in carving, dressing, writing, and buttoning her sleeves and gloves ; but she could do all these things with an effort. She was able to bend the first phalanges, but not the second and third. There was no difference of temperature in the two hands. The lower portion of the forearm was emaciated, there being a difference of seven-eighths of an inch between the two arms; for, while the left arm measured fully seven inches, the right measured only six and one-eighth. The general health of the patient was satisfactory. I applied the positive pole of twenty cells to the cicatrices, in order to promote, if possible, the regeneration of nervous fibres ; and also acted intermittently on the suffering muscles. After four such applications the patient felt a good deal stronger in the arm and wrist 5 she could hold things better, did not feel so stiff in writing, and her hand and arm did not ache after writing as they used to do. She also found carving and dressing easier, and had succeeded in turning a key in a lock, which she could not do