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A Minor Irritation
692
Gardsell, P, Johnell, 0, Nilsson, B E and Nilsson, J A (1989). ‘The predictive value of fracture, disease, and falling tendency for fragility fractures in women’, Calcified Tissue International, 45, 327-330.
Hasselkus, B R, and Shambes, G M (1975). ‘Aging and postural sway in women’,Journal of Gerontology,30,6,661-667. Imms, F J, and Edholm, 0 G (1981).‘Studiesof gait and mobility in the elderly’,Age andAgeing, 10, 147-156. Iverson, B D, Gossman, M R, Shaddeau, S A and Turner, M E (1990). ‘Balance performance, force production and activity levels in non-institutionalised men 60 to 90 years of age’, Physical Therapy, 70,6, 348-355.
Johansson, G, and Jarnlo, G-B (1991). ‘Balance training in 70year-old women’,Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 7 , 121-125. Mathias, S, Nayak, U S L and Isaacs, B (1986). ‘Balance in elderly patients: The ”Get-up and Go” test’, Archives of Physical
Overstall, P W, Exton-Smith,A N , Imms, F J and Johnson, A L (1977). ‘Falls in the elderly related to postural imbalance’,British Medical Journal, 1,216-264.
Sheldon, J H (1963). ‘The effect of age on the control of sway’, GerontologiaClinica,5 , 129-138.
Shepard, R J (1985). ‘Physicalfitness: Exercise and ageing’,in: Pathy, M S J (ed)Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine, Wiley, Chichester, pages 163 - 177. Skinner, J S, Tipton, C M and Vailas, A C (1982). ‘Exercise, physical training, and the ageing process’,Lectures on Gerontology, vol 1, ‘On Biology of Ageing’, part B, 407-435. Thompson, R F, Crist, D M, Marsh, M and Rosenthal, M (1988). ‘Effects of physical exercise for elderly patients with physical impairments’, Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 36, 130135.
Murray, M P, Serieg, A A and Sepic, S B (1975). ‘Normal postural stability and steadiness: Quantitative assessment’, Journal of
Tinelti, M E, Richman, D and Powell, L (1990). ‘Fallsefficacy as a measure of fear of falling’,Journal of Gerontology,45,239-243. Vanfraechem,J and Vanfraechem,R (1977). ‘Studiesof the effect of a short training period on aged subjects’, Journal of Spofls
Obrant, K J, BegnBr, U, Johnell, 0, Nilsson, B E and Sernbo, I (1989). ‘Increasingage-adjusted risk of fragility fractures: A sign of increasing osteoporosis in successive generations?’ Calcified
Wolfson, L I, Whipple, R, Amerman, P and Kleinberg, A (1986). ‘Stressingthe postural response: A quantitative method for testing balance’,Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 34,845-850.
Medicine and Rehabilitation,67,387-389.
Bone and Joint Surgery,57-A, 4,510-516.
Tissue International,44, 157-167.
Medicine, 17, 373-380.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTlVE
A Minor Irritation Allen Mason Counter-irritation as a form of treatment is as familar to physiotherapists today as it was to the physicians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In times past, however, the methods were somewhat more aggressive than Renotin ionisation, or transverse frictions. The firing iron or fer rouge was used both to cauterise wounds and to produce counter-irritation. A red hot iron was passed over the skin, often as many as one hundred times, to alleviate the pain of rheumatism, lumbago or neuralgia. This method, however, was not generally popular with patients since it was extremely painful, damaged healthy tissue and left a great deal of scar tissue. An even more destructive technique was that ’of counterirritation by sagittal incision. A deep cut was made over the sagittal suture of the skull and the wound packed with irritants. The wound was then stitched up and left. This was thought to be useful in the treatment of chronic headaches and in epilepsy. Vesicants or subtances that cause the skin to blister were often used. The use of cantharides (Spanish fly), dilute nitric acid and ammonia have all been reported. Substances that produced pustules - for example Croton oil and tartrated antimony - were also employed. But infection often set in, and there were reports of a t least one case of tetanus brought on by excessive blistering.
Physiotherapy, October 1993, vol79, no 10
A safer and more acceptable alternative, the Electric Moxa, was developed by Dr Golding Bird of Guy’s Hospital.
Two small blisters were raised on the patient’s skin which were then cut away. The raw areas were covered with zinc and silver electrodes which were then joined together with a copper wire. The ‘Moxa’, which was in fact a tiny battery, was bandaged on and left for a few days. On removal, the area under the zinc electrode was covered with a firm whitish matter, while under the silver electrode, there was a healthy granulating sore. This method was used to treat chronic pain, indolent ulcers and even hemiplegia. The German neurologist Wilhelm Erb noted that the Electric Moxa was still in use during the 1880s, but there is no mention of it in electrotherapy textbooks after that time.
Author Allen Mason MSc BA MCSP is course leader, School of Health
and Community Studies, SheffieldHallam University.
Note ‘Historical Perspective’ is a regular feature anticipating the Centenary of the founding of the Society of Trained Masseuses. Contributionswhich illuminate and colour the establishment and development of the profession are welcome and should be sent to the scientific editor.
Gardsell, P, Johnell, 0, Nilsson, B E and Nilsson, J A (1989). ‘The predictive value of fracture, disease, and falling tendency for fragility fractures in women’, Calcified Tissue International, 45, 327-330.
Hasselkus, B R, and Shambes, G M (1975). ‘Aging and postural sway in women’,Journal of Gerontology,30,6,661-667. Imms, F J, and Edholm, 0 G (1981).‘Studiesof gait and mobility in the elderly’,Age andAgeing, 10, 147-156. Iverson, B D, Gossman, M R, Shaddeau, S A and Turner, M E (1990). ‘Balance performance, force production and activity levels in non-institutionalised men 60 to 90 years of age’, Physical Therapy, 70,6, 348-355.
Johansson, G, and Jarnlo, G-B (1991). ‘Balance training in 70year-old women’,Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 7 , 121-125. Mathias, S, Nayak, U S L and Isaacs, B (1986). ‘Balance in elderly patients: The ”Get-up and Go” test’, Archives of Physical
Overstall, P W, Exton-Smith,A N , Imms, F J and Johnson, A L (1977). ‘Falls in the elderly related to postural imbalance’,British Medical Journal, 1,216-264.
Sheldon, J H (1963). ‘The effect of age on the control of sway’, GerontologiaClinica,5 , 129-138.
Shepard, R J (1985). ‘Physicalfitness: Exercise and ageing’,in: Pathy, M S J (ed)Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine, Wiley, Chichester, pages 163 - 177. Skinner, J S, Tipton, C M and Vailas, A C (1982). ‘Exercise, physical training, and the ageing process’,Lectures on Gerontology, vol 1, ‘On Biology of Ageing’, part B, 407-435. Thompson, R F, Crist, D M, Marsh, M and Rosenthal, M (1988). ‘Effects of physical exercise for elderly patients with physical impairments’, Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 36, 130135.
Murray, M P, Serieg, A A and Sepic, S B (1975). ‘Normal postural stability and steadiness: Quantitative assessment’, Journal of
Tinelti, M E, Richman, D and Powell, L (1990). ‘Fallsefficacy as a measure of fear of falling’,Journal of Gerontology,45,239-243. Vanfraechem,J and Vanfraechem,R (1977). ‘Studiesof the effect of a short training period on aged subjects’, Journal of Spofls
Obrant, K J, BegnBr, U, Johnell, 0, Nilsson, B E and Sernbo, I (1989). ‘Increasingage-adjusted risk of fragility fractures: A sign of increasing osteoporosis in successive generations?’ Calcified
Wolfson, L I, Whipple, R, Amerman, P and Kleinberg, A (1986). ‘Stressingthe postural response: A quantitative method for testing balance’,Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 34,845-850.
Medicine and Rehabilitation,67,387-389.
Bone and Joint Surgery,57-A, 4,510-516.
Tissue International,44, 157-167.
Medicine, 17, 373-380.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTlVE
A Minor Irritation Allen Mason Counter-irritation as a form of treatment is as familar to physiotherapists today as it was to the physicians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In times past, however, the methods were somewhat more aggressive than Renotin ionisation, or transverse frictions. The firing iron or fer rouge was used both to cauterise wounds and to produce counter-irritation. A red hot iron was passed over the skin, often as many as one hundred times, to alleviate the pain of rheumatism, lumbago or neuralgia. This method, however, was not generally popular with patients since it was extremely painful, damaged healthy tissue and left a great deal of scar tissue. An even more destructive technique was that ’of counterirritation by sagittal incision. A deep cut was made over the sagittal suture of the skull and the wound packed with irritants. The wound was then stitched up and left. This was thought to be useful in the treatment of chronic headaches and in epilepsy. Vesicants or subtances that cause the skin to blister were often used. The use of cantharides (Spanish fly), dilute nitric acid and ammonia have all been reported. Substances that produced pustules - for example Croton oil and tartrated antimony - were also employed. But infection often set in, and there were reports of a t least one case of tetanus brought on by excessive blistering.
Physiotherapy, October 1993, vol79, no 10
A safer and more acceptable alternative, the Electric Moxa, was developed by Dr Golding Bird of Guy’s Hospital.
Two small blisters were raised on the patient’s skin which were then cut away. The raw areas were covered with zinc and silver electrodes which were then joined together with a copper wire. The ‘Moxa’, which was in fact a tiny battery, was bandaged on and left for a few days. On removal, the area under the zinc electrode was covered with a firm whitish matter, while under the silver electrode, there was a healthy granulating sore. This method was used to treat chronic pain, indolent ulcers and even hemiplegia. The German neurologist Wilhelm Erb noted that the Electric Moxa was still in use during the 1880s, but there is no mention of it in electrotherapy textbooks after that time.
Author Allen Mason MSc BA MCSP is course leader, School of Health
and Community Studies, SheffieldHallam University.
Note ‘Historical Perspective’ is a regular feature anticipating the Centenary of the founding of the Society of Trained Masseuses. Contributionswhich illuminate and colour the establishment and development of the profession are welcome and should be sent to the scientific editor.