Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-22
ELECTRICITY CURES NEURALGIA.

ELECTRICITY CURES NEURALGIA.
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-
trisre by Professor Charcot 1t is the
treatment by mechanical vibrations.
There is serious disease Of the nerv-
Gus system, characterized by an inces-
sant trembling of the hands, STOPPING
attitude and All odd gait, that makes it
seem IS if the invalid was going to pre-
sipitate himself head foremost. 1t Is
the trembling palsy, also called Parkin-
sons disease, sort Of painful nervous
disorder that depriyes the unfortunate
who is afflicted with it of rest and sleep.
Mr.. Charcot a long time ago learned
from some invalids who were troubled
with this infrmity that they derived de-
sddsd relief from long rides on railroad
q In carriage. The more the vibra-
lions 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 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
ths trip lasted, and the worse the line,
Ne more durable was their Improvements
Such testimony, coming from various
sources, was not lost. 1t was for Mr..
Chareot the starting point of most
curious therapeutical application. Mr..
Chareot had an armchair constructed,
10 which to and fro motion was giver
BY means OF an electrical windlass
Long before the invention of the vibrat
Ing armchair DR.. Vigouroux conceived
the idea of submitting hysterical patients
10 the vibration Of huge tuning fork.
Il this way he sursd anSsthesias and
muscular stiff joints. Other physicians
BeHdet, Of Paris, and Mortimer, OF
Granville, applied vibrating rods to the
treatment of neuralgias (facial neuralgia
n 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
short period, the pain ceased.
The method was some time ago singu.
larly improved by DR.. Gillis de la Tour.
cite, a pupil of Mr.. Charcot. He had an
apparatus constructed for the treatment
Of msgrims and nervous headaches; il
was the vibrating helmet. Imagine
helmet of the model of that of old times,
and very analogous, as to structure, to
the conformator of hatters. 1t is in
fact formed Of steel plates that permit
Of its fitting the head perfectly. Upon
this helmet, in lieu of crest, there is
small alternating current motor of pc.
euliar construction that makes about
600 revolutions per minute. At every
revolution uniform vibration is propa.
gated to the metallic plates, and is trans.
mittsd to the Uranium that they embrace.
The cranial walls thus vibrate in thei1
ensemble, and the vibrations are natur.
ally transmitted to the entire cerebral
apparatus. The sensation is not dis
agreeable. The number and intensity
of the vibrations, moreover, may be
varied according to the tolerance of the
subject. In few minutes sort of gen.
eral lassitude is experienced, with
tendency to sleep.
The vibrating helmet has already been
applied to large number of neuras.
thenic invalids, the majority of whom
have experienced good results from it.
The process succeeds also against heni-
srania, and as this is quite common
Affection, for which no surely efncacious
remedy is known, the helmet will in
short time be seen to come into vogue
Nature.