The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-05-25
FOR THE HEALTH'S SAKE.
VALUE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE
TREATMENT OF DISEASE.

Importance of Knowing How to Use 1t.
Health by the Tricycle-What Eminent
Physicians Have to Say of It-Usually
Masters Rheumatism.
Although electricity is now recognized as
an efficient remedy in the treatment of dis
ease, beyond doubt its true value as such is
yet to be estimated. Until within few
years its use was practically limited to pa
ralysis, joints stiffened by sprains and chronic
rheumatism, and few like morbid condi-
tions. Now the list of affections i'll which it
has proved itself etficacious is quite long, and
is growing longer every year. 1t is, of
course, peculiarly adapted to nervous dis
orders, and, naturally, in them is most often
employed, but there are a number of other
diseases and arrangements Of entirely differ
cnt classes in which it has been found of cura-
tive value. AS, for instance. in tho treat
mcnt of jaundico and torpidity of the liver it
has appeared to act we'll by stimulating the
functions of that important organ and in
crcasing the secretion of bile. Certain cases
of jaundicc which resisted all other treat
ment have yielded very readily to this.
NOT A DOMESTIC REMEDY.
Electricity has also been used with marked
benefit i'll dyspepsia, habitual constipation,
diabetes, vertigo, asthma, bronchitis, and
variety of other complaints. Some physi-
clans have found it of value in badness, and
several observers have had happy results
from it in chronic ulcers, one reporting the
cure of Il badly liberated tongue which had
resisted treatment for nine years Elec-
tricity, while an admirable agent, capable of
doing much good i'll certain diseases, is yet
Cn,,nh1p of ,Ouch harm II iS pptprio,,c foct
that while only few successful cases arc
necessary to make any remedy popular with
non-profcssionals, they are exceedingly slow
to recognize that it is also possible for tho
same under certain conditions to do more or
less injury.
Electricity as usually taken in disease is
now held by people at largo to be harmless
and not Il few of them have batteries and ap-
ply it to themselves and friends for every
conceivable aiment. AS naturally expected,
| i'll its indiScrimnatc use, it is often abused,
and not only rarely ever does the good it is
capable of, but i'll many instances it does ma
tcrial harm. Electricity can never be num-
bcrcd among the domestic remedies 1t is al
together too powerful, and for its correct ap-
pliration is demanded not only an intimate
knowledge of tho agent himself, but tho
thorough knowledge of tho human system
and its changes i'll health and disease. Ono
may know just the class Of diseases it issuted
to, and yet more often do harm than good
with it, In certain cases of neuralgia, for in
stance, it would prove n cure; i'll others, how
ever, tho disease would be made much worse
by it.
Now, to discriminate between them would
tax tho skill of the most accomplished physi
clan. Again, it cannot be known that there
nrr SpvrroI kinds of nnrtriritv nd nort,
have their special action. One kind might
be used in II case and prove benefit, where
as were another employed the disease would
be much aggravated. Beyond all that, it
must he understood that i'll u suitable case,
with Il proper battery, yet an unnfurmcd
operator may do harm simply by wrongly
applying tho currents.
AS every ono knows, there arc two, what
are called poles, to every battery. Hold the
handles on these in tho hands, and the cur
rent of electricity passes from one to the
other, through the arms and upper purt
of the body. Now, suppoSing u person hns u
neuralsc pain in some part of his body He
| puts one handle to the affected spot and
holds the other in his hand, or has it placed
| elsewhere in contact with his skin. Hc finds
that n few applications made several times
| precisely i'll the same way bring him relief.
| But now were he to reverse matters and
| apply the other polo to tho affected spot,
very likely instead Of being benefited lie
would bo made worse.
| Dr. Oscar Jennings, prominent English
| physician who practices in Paris, has recent
| ly written an interesting little work, ell.
| titled "lIcalth by the Tricycle." The doctor
himself las had much personal experience in
| the use of tho machine, and beside his own
| conclusions, he has embodied i'll his wolk
| those Of other writers on tho subject 1t ap
| pears that he is the first to call att6.l.;on ia
| the medical uses of the tricycle., previously
| held to he u means OF sport, on at the most,
| of exercise. He recommends it in cases of
| varicosc veins, hernia, hcmorrhoids, chrouic
| gout and rheumatic gout, obesity, and, in a
| general way, to all who are growing more
| than middle aged. Men who follow setlen-
tury occupations begin to feelincrcasing stiff
| ness about the joints, or have chronic consti-
patton, derive much good from cycling.
| The machine, all know who have visited
| London within n few years, is now familiar
| sight in its streets. Messengers, newspaper
carriers, bundle boys, even the plumber,
tinker, and men of numberless other trades,
now journey about the city on trcycles, in
geniously made convenient for holding their
wares. tools, etc. As an instrument Of sport
chtItlSc, 10 tlDuIJllul IL any WtlrIc
else rs popular; ono reason, Of course, being
that the streets of London are so well paved
and well cared for, riding over them is easy
and u pleasure. 1t is said that there are over
| 100000 English veocipcdists The Prince of
| Wales and his three daughters are among the
number, and clcrgymen, lawyers and doctors
| arc well represented in it.
| 1t appears that Il large number Of persons,
including many doctors, among them tho
| late DIR. Mahomcd Of London who had va
| ricose veins, derived much benefit from the
! tricycle.. AS to hernia, it is not pretended
that the use of the machine will cure it, but
cases are given of doctors who had hernia
and found it gone after riding for time
An English medical journal, while recogniz-
ing the value Of the tricycle. as curative in
many affections and an excellent form of ex-
crcisc, yet considers it as an exercise inferior
to rowing and horseback riding. Many will
dissent from such verdict, and as for the
curative effect, certainly in the matter of
hemorrhoids riding the tricycle. cures them,
| while horseback riding will often produce
| them.
| According to DR.. Jennings u person must
be we'll stiffencd up by rheumatism who can
| not use the machine and be cured by it. He
| tells of man who had consulted twenty
| physicians and failed to receive any benefit,
and yet at last was cured by the tricycle.. He
also gives the case of u man 80 years old who
was paralyzed on one side, and yet rode 1000
miles last year. 1t would appear that i'll Sc
lected cases of consumption cycling might
properly be advised. Undoubtedly the vic
tins in the early stage would be much bene-
fitted if not absolutely cured by it.-Boston
Herald
Rubber, which is the coagulated sap OF !.
tropical tree, comes from nearly all eqll;,-
torial regions but Brazil is its CHOSEN