The use of electricity in the removal of superfluous hair : and the treatment of various facial blemishes / by George Henry Fox.

Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The use of electricity in the removal of superfluous hair : and the treatment of various facial blemishes / by George Henry Fox. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

    11/76 (page 7)
    customary in the removal of hair and in other cutane- ous operations of a cosmetic nature to introduce only the negative needle. The circuit may be completed by means of a moistened sponge connected with the positive electrode and applied to the surface of the skin at any convenient spot. For the production of an electrolytic current it is necessary to have a galvanic battery with a number of small cells. These are united in series, i. e., the posi- tive element of one cell is joined to the negative element of the next. Such a combination of cells furnishes a current which is distinguished for its ten- sioti, or power of overcoming resistance. It would scarcely warm a wire or needle introduced in the circuit. A battery composed of one or two large cells or a number of small cells with all the positive and negative elements joined in two groups will furnish a greater quantity of electricity and produce a current which will readily raise a platinum wire to a white heat. But while such a current is of great value for illuminating purposes and for galvano-cautery, it is worse than useless in electrolytic operations. The same may be said of the faradic or interrupted current. It would seem superfluous to make the above statements were it not that a very slight acquaintance with the subject of electricity has led some to attempt the per- formance of electrolysis with unsuitable batteries. The ordinary galvanic battery designed for medical purposes is the one which should be employed.