Van Deusen/Kosinski Collection


irritation of the nerves, by the action of a vitiated state of the humours upon them. It was familiar to me, that no means on earth were able to cleanse the human body of a cachexy, or purge the blood of vitiated humours so suddenly and effectually as that of electrifying freely, and this succeeded by deep sweats. I formed my process accordingly, and it had the desired and intended effect; and purging off the humours, was the cure of the involuntary motion of the nervous system. I insolated the girl two or three times only, and this was not continued half an hour at a time; so that the cure could not be founded on the action of so short a stimulus: moreover, she was not insolated until after she had received some degree of betterment. The most of people exercised with this complaint, are in habits of debility. This was my reason for recommending it, to corroborate with the shock.

Hysterics.

The spasm that attends this disease being a secondary effect, arising, undoubtedly, from compression and pressure - the whole affection the pressure to the stomach, head, &c. - all will immediately subside, by passing the shocks, in due number and force, from the sides of the neck to the feet. This compression and pressure is suddenly counteracted by the depression of the electrical shock upon the part affected. I have seldom had occasion to give more than twenty shocks, and mostly light ones, to remove one of those rude fits. I have used the shock in this manner, I think, in hundreds of cases; and have ever found it to have one uniform effect, such as above described. The effect of removing a paroxysm by the shocks has been, that when women have been careful not to take a cold immediately upon the shock, they have been less subject to the paroxysm for a longer time, then when they were removed by other means. Electriying from the hips to the feet only, would be sufficient to prevent a paroxysm, would women be careful to keep their feet warm.

Doctor Graham, of London, who used medical electricity a considerable time, and found it to be so exceedingly useful to women, in diseases peculiar to themselves, hath said that women may, with propriety, adore electricity.

There is a certain effect produced by the electric shock, which I have scarcely noticed as yet, and which may as properly be introduced here as any other place, inasmuch as this singular effect is concerned in the cure of the disease now under consideration. - The effect I have reference to, is what caused Doctor Franklin to say, that the shock determined the blood, one way or the other, according as the shock was directed. Dr. Cavallo, a late British writer upon medical electricity, hath, barely, contradicted Franklin's assertion. I think Doctor Cavallo had better been silent on this subject: for there is an effect produced

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FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Title page
2 Preface
13 Animal and Vegetable Electricity
15 Chapter 1 - Electric fire promotes the vegetable life, etc.
70 Chapter 2 - Of the Conductors
   97 Chapter 3 - Fever  [Medical Conditions]
108 Peripneumony 171 Cholic 210 Involuntary motion
      of the eyelids
111 Pleurisy 174 Asthma 210 Hemmorage
114 St. Anthony's Fire 176 Diabetes 217 Hemorroids
115 Inflammatory Rheumatism 178 Urine suppressed,
  bloody and hot
217 Ulcers and Abcesses
115 Inflammatory Sore Throat 182 Menses obstructed 220 Rickets
122 Madness 185 King's Evil 221 Locked Jaw or Joints
131 Ague 186 Cancers 224 Bruises
138 St. Vitus's Dance 194 Quincy 229 Nerves contracted
140 Hysterics 195 Head-ache 230 Sprain or Strain
144 Epilepsy 196 Deafness 231 Felon or Whitlow
149 Consumption 197 Inflammatory Eyes 231 Pains in different parts
153 Palsy 197 Film 232 Wounds, etc.
158 Dropsy 199 Gutta Serena 234 Drowning
164 Gout 207 Cataract 237 Suppressed Perspiration
166 Dysentery 209 Fistula Lachrymalis 237 Burns and Scalds
242 Chapter 4  [Equipment]
277 Thoughts on the Times
INDEX
Electricity, or Ethereal Fire, Considered is presented here for historical purposes only, and should not be interpreted as medical advice.





        
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