A letter to Mr. George Adams on the subject of medical electricity; from Mr. John Birch, surgeon.

  • Birch, John, 1745?-1815.
Date:
1792
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to Mr. George Adams on the subject of medical electricity; from Mr. John Birch, surgeon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    mach, I poured a ftrcam of eledric fparks into the ftomach, and extraded them by a brafs ball applied up and down the fpine: he perceived himfelf warm and eafy, yet at the expected time his rigor attacked him. I immediately electri- fied him again in the fame manner, and in lefs than 3 minutes his rigor ceafed : in 15 minutes the rigor returned, I repeated the operation with the fame effed; his pulfe now quickened, and the fever came on ; he went home and into his bed, the fweat fucceeded, and the paroxyfm ceafed; the fucceeding day he found himfelf much better than ufuah I continued to elec- trify him in the fame manner the 4 following days, and his fit did not return; then I direded him to take the cortex in powder, which agreed well with his ftomach, and his ague was cured. Mr. Saltinftall hearing of this cafe, requeued me to eledrify a patient of his, w ho had a quar- tan ague, which refilled the cortex and other remedies. I applied the fparks to him in the t fame manner, and at the accefs of the cold fit, with equal fuccefs. After being eledrified, the cortex' would reft upon his ftomach, and his ague never returned. A feF-