The stimulant effects of electricity are occasionally beneficial in the treatment of paralysis of the nerves of special sense, especially of the optic and auditory nerves, while its use has been advocated in a multitude of diseases to which I shall not further refer, than by saying that a clear comprehension of the principles of electro-therapeutics will prevent the occurrence of difficulty in any special application of them; and let us shortly recapitulate the most important of these principles. [SN: Résumé of general principles of Electro-therapeutics.] We have seen that electricity is a stimulant, a sedative, a restorative, and an absorbent. Its stimulant properties are chiefly of use in diseases of debility, and notably in paralysis--its sedative properties in the alleviation and removal of pain and spasm, and notably in neuralgia--its restorative properties in fatigue diseases, notably writer’s cramp--and its absorbent properties in exudation diseases, and notably in gout and rheumatism. The dose of electricity consists of the addition of two factors--firstly, the strength of the current, whether Voltaic or Faradaic; secondly, its duration. It is of essential importance that we do not overdose our patient, but we are little likely to do this if we adhere to the two cardinal rules--to use the _minimum_ power which will produce the results we desire, and not to unduly prolong our application: and really this question of “dosage” forces us to consider how far it is advisable for the medical practitioner who prescribes electricity to sanction its administration by the patients themselves. While there is no doubt that the most explicit directions will often be misunderstood, or fail in being correctly carried out, yet it would be practically impossible (to say nothing of the expense to the patient) for any medical man to himself apply electricity daily for a lengthened period; and we are compelled, in certain cases, to do our best in instructing _some one attendant of the patient_ how to carry out the treatment, making her do this a few times in our presence, _and looking sharply after her afterwards_, and in addition explaining everything as fully as possible to the patient, or the patient’s friends. Moreover, we must not lose sight of the fact that, with electricity as with other remedies, the skill of the physician is shown in determining how, when, and in what dose to administer it, and his judgment in selecting those cases in which its administration may be wisely committed to others.