Electro-physiology and electro-therapeutics : showing the best methods for the medical uses of electricity / By Alfred C. Garratt.

or sympathetic nerves, or is it owing to increased vascular deter- mination to the head, — or oiving to vascular turgescence from sluggish circulation in the head ? I am more inclined to believe it is both the former and the latter. In a word, I believe there is a class of ganglionic neuralgias. (See p. 417, and F, Note 2.) In like manner, and for the same reasons, we may find cases presenting of neuralgia of the heart, as angina pectoris, and other forms of nervous heart-pains; neuralgia of the stomach, as gastralgia, or gastrodynia, and perhaps complicated with other morbid conditions; neuralgia even of the liver, called hepatalgia; of the spleen, and called by systematic writers sple- nalgia; neuralgia of the duodenum, colon, and ileus, called ner- vous colic, and more particularly lead colic; neuralgia of the kidneys, and of the urinary bladder, called nephralgia, &c. A neuralgic affection of the urinary organs is usually attended with increased secretion of urine, as, indeed, augmented secretion is characteristic of neuralgia of all secreting organs. Neuralgia of the uterus is a fact; but these cases arc more generally turned over to us as unmanageable cases of uterine congestion, or of irritable uterus. The cauterizing the cervix, the pessory support, the leeches, douches, and injections, fail to relieve or restore, but rather aggravate these cases, because they are in effect true irritants to this condition of the organ. There- fore, from among all the painful affections of the uterus, we must he careful to discriminate those that are truly and simply neural- gic. Now and then we find distressing cases of true neuralgia of the vagina. The patient more generally describes it as a most acute burning or scalding, or as a heavy plunging pain, occurring often, but not lasting long, and followed with a con- tinued aching, throbbing, or soreness. There is usually found no lesion of the vulva, vagina, nor of the uterus. But we should recollect always, that this neuralgia may be, as it sometimes is, merely symptomatic of serious organic lesion of the womb. (E.) Visceral neuralgia, being an affection of the sympathetic sys- tem of nerves, may therefore constitute the rrfbst severe and protracted bodily sufferings under which mortals can so long live. The source of sufferings, undefined, yet everlastingly com-