The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-03-24
ELEcrRIelTY cuREs MguRALeIA.


Head by an Electrlcai Helmet.
4 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 ut the Salpe-
Itriere BY Professor Charcot. 1t is the
treatment by mechanical vibrations,
There is Il serious disease Of the nerv-
Epus system, characterized BY an inces-
sant trembling Of the hands. a STOPPING
4 lttitude and an odd gait, that makes 1t
seem as il the invalid was going 10 pre-
ripitate himself head foremost II 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 Il long time ago learned
from some invalids who were troubled
with this intirmity that they derived de
cided relief from long rides ona railroad
or in carriage. The more the yibra-
ltions caused in the compartments by the
train running vt 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 IN mex
pressible comfort. One Of them con-
ceiyed 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 Il was for Mr..
Charcot the starting point Of most
curious therapeutical application. MIR.
Charcot had an armchair constructed,
ito which a to and fro motion was given
by means Of an electrical windlass.
Long before the invention of the yibrat-
ing armchair DIR. Vigouroux conceived
the idea Of submitting hysterical patients
to the vibration Of huge tuning fork.
In this way he cured anGsthesias and
!. muscular stiff joints. Other physicians
Boudet, Of Paris, and Mortimer, Of
Granville, applied vibrating rods to the
treatment Of Aeuralgias facial neuralgia
Il in particularly and headaches. Granville
devised 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 MIR. Charcot. He had an
apparatus constructed for the treatment
of megrims and nervous headaches; it
was the vibrating helmet, Imagine q
helmet of the model of that Of old times,
and very analogous, as TO structure, to
the conformation 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 u
| small alternating current motor of pc
. culiar construction that makes about
600 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.
The cranial walls thus vibrate in their
! 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 wminutes sort Of gem
! eral lassitude is experienced, with a
4 tendency TO sleep.
4 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 henri
! crania, and as this is quite common
!. affection, for which no surely efficacioua
remedy is known, the helmet will In q
short time be seen to come into vogue
Nature