ELEPHANTIASIS.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 138, 16 July 1880, Page 1 (Supplement)

ELEPHANTIASIS.

The disease known as elephantiasis, in which, chiefly, the legs aud feet are affected, becoming rough and scaly, and swollen to great size by serious infiltration, the skin growing thick and insensible, is frequent in Brazil. It is common to resort to remedial treatment of it by compression, but this is found to give but slight relief ; nor do certain surgical processes, as ligature of the pricipal artery of the limb, appear to have been successful. M. Moncorvo a short time ago conceived the idea of trying electricity on the disease. He at first used only induced currents, and obtained, in several patients, a considerable diminution of the leg and thigh, but not complete cure. The method was, however, on consideration by M. M. Moncorvo aud Araujo, changed to a combined use of induced and continuous currents, and this is said to have entirely removed the infirmity in a number of cases. The continuous currents appear to have the effect of softening and to a certain extent liquefying the indurated tissues, while the intermittent currents cause a reabsorption of the tissues thus prepared.