Neuralgia and the diseases that resemble itAnstie, Francis Edmund
Science
Neuralgia and the diseases that resemble it
Anstie, Francis Edmund
Neuralgia
The treatment of spinal irritation is, it must be confessed still in an
unsatisfactory position; and I believe that a good deal of unnecessary
discouragement has been occasioned to physicians by their failures to
cure supposed neuralgias which really belonged to the spinal irritation
class. I would assuredly by no means assert that genuine neuralgia is
not frequently intractable, or even incurable; but it is certainly much
more curable than spinal irritation; and for this reason, mainly as I
believe--that there is much more possibility of aiming our remedies at
the actual seat of the disease. On the other hand, in spinal irritation
we are confused and distracted with a variety of phenomena for which
even the most subtle analysis will frequently fail to trace a common
origin. It is true that the existence of definite tender spots in the
spine apparently suggests a strictly local application of remedies; and
it true also that medication based upon this fact is sometimes very
effective; but this is, in my experience, only an occasional result, and
the practitioner who trusts to local measures will frequently be
disappointed. And, on the other hand, the general tonic treatment, and
the use of special medicines, like quinine and arsenic, or the
hypodermic injection of morphia oratropia, have nothing like the
extensive utility in the treatment of spinal irritation that they
possess in that of true neuralgia. Of internal remedies, by far the most
useful in my hands have been sesquichloride of iron with small doses of
strychnia, and the milder vegetable bitters, especially calumba.
There is one special phase, however, of spinal irritation which is very
amenable to the direct, treatment, viz., cutaneous and mucous
tenderness. Whatever the "hyperæsthetic" part is within reach, so that
we can apply Faradization, we can almost certainly eradicate the morbid
sensibility very quickly. The secondary current of an electro-magnetic
or volta-electric induction apparatus is to be employed; the conductors
should be of dry metal and the negative one, which is to be applied to
the painful surface, should be in the form of the wire brush. The
positive pole is to be placed on some indifferent spot, and the negative
is to be stroked briskly backward and forward over the sensitive skin, a
pretty strong current being employed. The process is painful so much so
that it will often be advisable, with delicate patients, either to
administer chloroform or to inject morphia subcutaneously before the
Faradization. A very few daily sittings of four or five minutes length
will generally remove the morbid tenderness completely. Where the tender
part is within one of the cavities, at the rectum, bladder, vagina, or
pharynx, we must of course use a solid negative conductor of appropriate
form, and must content ourselves with applying it steadily to one point
after another of the sensitive surface.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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