Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-12-16
ELECTRICITY CURES NEURALGIA.
The Vibratory Principle Applied TO the
Head by an Electrical Helmet.

The Vibratory Principle Applied TO the
Head by an Electrical Helmet.
Among all the methods more or less
odd in appearance applied to the treat
ment OF nervous diseases, there are few
more original than the one that has been
employed for some time at the Salpe-
triere by Professor Charcot. 1t is the
treatment by mechanical vibrations.
/ There is a serious disease of the nerv-
GUS system, characterized by an inces-
SAINT trembling of the hands, STOPPING
attitude and an odd gait, that makes it
seem as if the invalid was going to pre-
cipitate himself head foremost. 1t is
the trembling palsy, also called Parkin-
sons disease, sort of painful nervous
disorder that deprives the unfortunate
who is afflicted with it of rest and sleep.
Mr. Charcot a long time ago learned
from some invalids who we're troubled
with this infrmity that they derived de-
cided relief from loIg rides on railroad
or in a carriage. TIE more the vibra-
tions caused in the compartments by the
train running at full speed, and the more
the carriage was jolted over an uneven
pavement, the more the relief expert.
enced At the end of a days journey
/ they felt better and experienced an mex.
pressible comfort. One of them con.
ceived the idea of having himself
/ wheeled about for hours in one of those
/ heavy carts used for carrying paving
stones. Contrary to the experience Of
| all travellers, those afflicted with trem
bling palsy felt fresher and more active
on alighting from the cars. The longer
| the trip lasted, and the worse the line
the more durable was theirimprovement
Such testimony, coming from various
sources, was not lost. 1t was for Mr.
Charcot the starting point of a most
curious therapeutical application. Mr.
Charcot had an armchair constructed,
to which a TO and fro motion was given
by means of an electrical windlass
Long before the invention of the vibrat
ing armchair DIR. Vigouroux conceived
the idea of submitting hysterical patients
to the vibration of huge tuning fork.
In this way he cured anasthesias and
muscular stiff joints. Other physicians
Boudet, of Paris, and Mortimer, OF
Granville, applied vibrating rods to the
treatment of neuralgias facial neuralgis
in particularly and headaches. Granville
devised a small electric hammer, anal.
ogous to the hammer of electric bells,
and that was applied to the painful
point Under the influence of the shock,
repeated hundreds of times within q
short period, the pain ceased.
The method was some time ago singu.
larly improved by DIR. Gillis de la Tour.
cite, pupil of Mr.. Charcot. He had an
apparatus constructed for the treatment
of megrims and nervous headaches; il
was the vibrating helmet. Imagine 9
helmet of the model of that of old times,
and very analogous, as TO structure, te
the conformation Of hatters. 1t is in
fact formed of steel plates that permit
of its fitting the head perfectly. Upor
this helmet, in lieu of crest, there is 9
small alternating current motor of pc.
culiar construction that makes about
900 revolutions per minute. At every
revolution uniform vibration is propa,
gated to the metallic plates, and is trans.
mitted to the Uranium that they embrace.
.
ensemble, and the vibrations are natur.
ally transmitted to the entire cerebra,
apparatus. The sensation is not dis
agreeable The number and intensity
of the vibrations, moreover, may b,
varied according to the tolerance Of tbs
subject. In few minutes a sort of gen
ersl lassitude is experienced, with &
tendency to sleep.
The vibrating helmet has already beer
applied to large number of neurss
thenic invalids, the majority of whom
have experienced good results from it
The process succeeds also against hemi
cranis, and as this is quite common
affection, for which no surely efficacioui
remedy is known, the helmet will in 9
short time be seen to come into vogue
Nature