Originally posted by NickZ
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. I don't think you need to jolt on each treatment. Under bearable level is ok I guess.Your jolt and water capacitor remind me of Benjamin Franklin, for health, but I think distantly relevant to the purposes of storing the voltage:
The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum Tesla Library
Some years since, when the newspaper made mention of great cures performed in Italy or Germany, by means of electricity, a number of paralyticks were brought to me, from different parts of Pensylvania, and the neighbouring provinces, to be electrified; which I did for them at their request. My method was, to place the patient first in a chair, on an electrical stool, and draw a number of large strong spark from all parts of the affected limb or side. Then I fully charged to six gallon glass jars, each of which had about three square feet of surface coated; and I sent the united shock of these through the afffected limb or limbs, repeating the stroke commonly three times each day. The first thing observed, was an immediate greater sensible warmth in the lame limbs, that had received the stroke, than in others; and the next morning the patients usually related that the had, in the night, felt a pricking sensastion in the flesh of the paralytick limbs; and would sometimes shew a number os small red spots, which the fuppoled we occasioned by those prickings. The limbs too we found more capable of voluntary motion, and seemed to receive strength. A man, for instance, sho could not the first day lift the lame hand from off his knee, would the next day raise it four and five inches, the third day higher, and on the fifth day was able, but with feeble languid motion, to take off his hat.
These appearance gave great spirit to the patients, and made them hope a perfect cure; but I do not remember, that I ever saw any amendments after the fifth day; which the patients perceiving, and finding the shocks pretty severe, they became discouraged, went home and in a short time, relapsed; for that I never knew any advantage from electricity, in palsies, that was permanent. And how far the apparent temporary advantage might arise, from the exercise in the patients journey and coming daily to my house, or from the spirit given by the hope of success enabling them to exert more strength in moving their limbs, I will not pretend to say.
Perhaps some permanent advantage might have been obtained if the electric shocks had been accompanied with proper medicine and regimen, under the direction of skilful phyisician. It may be too, that a few great strokes, as given in my method, may not be so proper as many small ones; since, by the account from Scotland, of a cafe in which 200 shocks from a phial we given daily, it seems that a perfect cure has been made. As to any uncommon strength supposed to be in the machine used in that cafe, I imagine it could have no share in the effect produced; since the strength of the shock, from the charged glass, is in proportion to the quantity of the surface of the glass coated; so that my shock, from there fore large jars much have been much greater than any that could received from a phial held in the hand. I am, with great respect.
These appearance gave great spirit to the patients, and made them hope a perfect cure; but I do not remember, that I ever saw any amendments after the fifth day; which the patients perceiving, and finding the shocks pretty severe, they became discouraged, went home and in a short time, relapsed; for that I never knew any advantage from electricity, in palsies, that was permanent. And how far the apparent temporary advantage might arise, from the exercise in the patients journey and coming daily to my house, or from the spirit given by the hope of success enabling them to exert more strength in moving their limbs, I will not pretend to say.
Perhaps some permanent advantage might have been obtained if the electric shocks had been accompanied with proper medicine and regimen, under the direction of skilful phyisician. It may be too, that a few great strokes, as given in my method, may not be so proper as many small ones; since, by the account from Scotland, of a cafe in which 200 shocks from a phial we given daily, it seems that a perfect cure has been made. As to any uncommon strength supposed to be in the machine used in that cafe, I imagine it could have no share in the effect produced; since the strength of the shock, from the charged glass, is in proportion to the quantity of the surface of the glass coated; so that my shock, from there fore large jars much have been much greater than any that could received from a phial held in the hand. I am, with great respect.
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