1. When acute, and characterized by high inflammation, with bright, smooth swelling, and spreading gradually and sometimes rapidly to surrounding parts; or when small vesicles appear on the inflamed parts, which dry up in little branlike scales and fall off.
If it be located anywhere upon the face, place N. P., long cord, upon back of neck, and treat the parts affected with P. P. Treat about three to five minutes at a time, three or four times daily.
If it be located in the arm or hand, place the extremity in tepid water with N. P., long cord, and treat upon or just above the diseased part with P. P.
If it be in any part of the trunk, (which, in this form, is not so common,) place N. P., long cord, upon some point of the spine as near the diseased part as may be, but a little lower down, and treat the part affected with P. P.
In each of these cases, treat briefly, but frequently, as directed above.
2. When small, blister-like, serous vesicles—phlyctæna—appear, and the inflammation terminates in gangrene; or when there is such an infiltration of serum as to produce an œdematous condition, place P. P., long cord, upon some convenient healthy part, (the spinal cord, or other nerve centre which gives nervous service to the part affected, is best,) and treat the lesion with N. P., light force, five to eight minutes daily.
ERUPTIVE CUTANEOUS DISEASES.
Take A D current, pretty vigorous force in acute cases; mild in chronic affections. If the eruption be inflamed and acute, use long cord with N. P.; if sluggish and chronic, use long cord with P. P. Move the two electrodes parallel to each other, upon the patient, about two or three inches apart; and pass them over all the affected surface. Repeat the treatment daily in acute affections, and three times a week in chronic cases.
COMMON CRAMP.
Although either the positive or the negative pole, applied to the healthy muscle, may produce spasmodic contraction, yet the negative pole contracts much more powerfully than the positive—a fact which shows an electrically plus condition in the nerves and muscles involved. Yet we know that cramps are more apt to attend a low condition of general vitality in the system than the opposite. From several considerations, which can not be detailed here, I am led to think that cramps are produced, generally, at least, by a temporary or spasmodic reaction of the electro-vital force from an improperly negative to an excessively positive state in the parts affected.