The practitioner's encyclopedia of medical treatment / edited by W. Langdon Brown and J. Keogh Murphy.
- Date:
- 1915
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The practitioner's encyclopedia of medical treatment / edited by W. Langdon Brown and J. Keogh Murphy. Source: Wellcome Collection.
56/908 (page 28)
![whole treatment may be effectively accomplished at one sitting. A bare zinc electrode is held in firm contact against the surface until the grey appearance extends to one-eighth of an inch, and if the edges are at all heaped up zinc needles are thrust into them until the whole of the affected area has been treated. Healing takes place fairly rapidly and there is seldom any pain. Collodion dressing is all that is necessary and there seems to be very little tendency for these cases to become septic. The question may be asked, why, if an anesthetic is necessary, should the ulcer not be excised? The cosmetic effect of ionisation in this way is much superior. There is prac- tically no scarring and there is no tendency to contraction, so that in all operations on the face this should be the method of choice. Moreover, in reasonably early cases a certain cure may be relied upon in practically every instance. Recurrences are seen in all forms of treatment of rodent ulcer, including excision, and so far as our information goes the chances of recurrence with thorough ionisation are rather less than with other forms of treatment. Electricity in one or other of the above forms has been applied beneficially to a great number of diseases differing widely in their character. The list fortunately includes some affections which are very obstinate in their reaction to other methods of treatment. It is necessary, however, to protest against the indiscriminate use of electricity, especially in the hands of unqualified persons, when experience has shown that there is little or no prospect of any benefit resulting from its use. In addition to the effects produced by elec- trical applications upon the local conditions for which the treatment is adopted, their general tonic action must be emphasised, as this is undoubtedly of great therapeutic value in all cases. The appetite and general condition are improved, the patient sleeps better, and in many cases constipation is relieved. The circulation is stimulated, and we are of opinion that when the two- or four-cell bath is used for rheumatoid arthritis, or other lesions, much of the improvement that results is due to the im- proved circulation through the affected part. _We have included in the following list those diseases in which in our experience electrical treatment has given encouraging results, or in which the published records appear to merit notice. Anemia (Chlorosis)—Some form of general electrisation may be usefully combined with othermedical treatment ,andconsiderable benefit may often be obtained from the general tonic action referred to above, especially when the sinusoidal current is applied by means of the four-celled bath. Those who have employed H.F. speak well of the results they obtain by the use of the condensation couch. Anesthesia (Loeal).—Local anzsthesia may be induced by the ionisation of cocaine from the positive pole, a 2 per cent. solution being used. The method may be very conveniently employed as a preliminary to the removal of hairs by means of electrolysis. Arterio-sclerosis. —In this as in other con- ditions associated with high blood pressure, the H.F. condensation couch gives very good results; even a single sitting often produces a marked fall in the pressure. The elimination of waste products by the urine is also increased, and the treatment, therefore, may be beneficial in granular kidney. Carbunele.—Zinc ionisation, by means of a zine needle passed into the centre of the car- buncle, not only relieves pain but frequently effects a rapid cure. In bad cases more than one application may be necessary. Careinoma.— Zine ionisation has also been tried in carcinoma; zinc needles are run into the growth and a large current is used. The sloughing of the growth which results is followed by a comparatively healthy ulcer, and healing may then be encouraged by further ionisation through lint pads soaked in a 4 per cent. solu- tion of zinc sulphate (positive pole). Fulgur- action by means of H.F. sparking has also been recommended. [For Diathermy see separate article. ] Cardio-vascular Affections.—The action of the H.F. condensation treatment in reducing high blood pressure has already been noted. A peculiarity about this method of treatment is that it is equally valuable in producing the opposite effect when the tension is too low, the tendency in both cases, therefore, being to restore the pressure to the normal. (The Bergonié treatment described under Obesity is also an important agent in certain forms of heart disease.) Chilblains—The constant and sinusoidal cur- rents used with the four-cell bath for half an hour twice or thrice a week brings about considerable improvement, and in some cases actually cures the patient. Half a dozen to a dozen baths usually effect a marked improve- ment in the chilblains, and in many cases we have found the cure a permanent one. The general health is also much improved, and the patients invariably find that they suffer less from cold extremities in severe weather, even after having only three or four baths. Constipation and Atony of the Digestive Tract. Nearly all patients when treated with the sinusoidal current for a variety of conditions volunteer the statement that they note a](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32785720_0056.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
