Article ID: CBB001421952

Electrical Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries in the 18th and 19th Centuries (2013)

unapi

Two centuries ago, electricity was being used for the treatment of paraplegia and trials were taking place in France. This study aims to identify cases of traumatic paraplegia treated with electricity in the 19th century in order to assess the therapeutic benefit. Only four such cases were identified, none with a complete transection of the spinal cord since these patients would have died from pressure sores and urinary tract infections. The personalities involved, William Gull, William Erb, Guillaume Duchenne and Cyril Henry Golding Bird are portrayed and contemporaneous views on electrotherapy analysed. While the four patients apparently benefited from the treatment, the lack of follow-up and the incomplete data prevented a definitive conclusion on the therapeutic value of electrical treatment in traumatic paraplegia.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001421952/

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Authors & Contributors
Zanetti, François
Jane Freebody
B. Pichel
Dodman, Thomas W.
Tatu, Laurent
Stark, James F.
Concepts
Therapeutic practice; therapy; treatment
Electricity; magnetism
Electrotherapy; radiotherapy
Medicine and technology, relationships
Medical technology
Emotions; passions
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
17th century
20th century
Enlightenment
20th century, early
Places
France
England
Germany
Great Britain
Paris (France)
Prussia (Germany)
Institutions
British Medical Association
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