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

that a large number of these cases not only "had no sen- sation of weight," but they have so frequently complained to me of their suffering when awake, walking, or asleep, from the sensation of rising', and being unable to keep their feet down on the ground or floor. This sensation, by times, harasses these patients prodigiously. As they recover, this vanishes. When this peculiar sensation appears in a less degree, however, then it is described by the patient as if the limb was covered with a glove or stocking, and as if the impression was outside of this. Notwithstanding the numbness, there is still the perception from pricking or pinching of the integuments; and what is partic- ularly noticeable, this numbness often extends only to about the elbows, and as far as the knees. Moreover, there are frequently, in these cases, affections of the special sense, as flashes of light, muscce volitantes, dimness of vision, and noises in the ear. One other peculiarity noticed by Dr. Gull, and which I can verify, is, that the most moder- ate pressure on any of the nerve trunks, as simply from lying on the arm in bed, or sitting upon the edge of a chair, or the like, will very readily render the nerve so compressed, com- pletely anaesthetic, with deep and painful prickle, which often renders the limb helpless, at least for a very short time. This symptom is evidently from delicate constitutional structure, or from exhausted or attenuated nerves. That the seat of this threatening affection is encephalic, rather than spinal or periph- eral, appears scarcely questionable ; and that its cause is rather a delicate nerve structure, or a disordered state of the general nerve nutrition, than any sort of local lesion, is equally certain. Let the patient but avoid the mental over-ivork, or correct all evil habits, and electro-therapeutics, with other rational medica- tion, can cure this nervous affection. In most cases where paraplegia arises from actual organic disease within the spinal sheath, there is, at some time or other, some degree of palsy of the intercostal muscles, or of the dia- phragm. In general, the pain in these cases is referable to the base of the brain. But in some cases they refer the pain to the forehead, and are able to control the urine and faeces; sensation