CASES OF GASTRALGIA TREATED BY CENTRAL 
GALVANISM. 
By George M. BeWd, M.D., New York. 
Tiie terms gastralgia, angina pectoris and cardiac neuralgia, are used 
somewhat vaguely and indiscriminately. The first term, gastralgia, 
is applied to neuralgia of the stomach ; it may or may not be accom- 
panied by spasm, by pyrosis, heart-burn, flatulency, or other symp- 
toms of dyspepsia. The most distressing accompaniment of the dis- 
ease is spasm, which sometimes draws up the muscles of the stomach 
and holds them as if in a vice. In its relation to dyspepsia, gastral- 
gia may precede, accompany or follow it; may create dyspeptic 
symptoms by the disturbance and debility it excites ; may complicate 
the ordinary agonies of indigestion, or it may come on as a resultant 
of long-continued dyspepsia. Just as there may be dyspepsia with- 
out gastralgia, so there may.be gastralgia without dyspepsia. In gas- 
tralgia, the pneumogastric is involved, and it is probable that the 
whole solar plexus may share in the disturbance. The two noteworthy 
features of gastralgia are intensity of the distress and its periodical 
character. Dr. Michel Peter, of Paris, has called attention to what he 
terms diaphragmatic neuralgia; the symptoms of this affection are 
spontaneous pains at the base of the lung and in the shoulders, in- 
creased by pressure ; tender points near the anterior insertions of the 
diaphragm at the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth ribs (especially 
marked at the ninth, at the posterior insertion of the last rib and at 
the lateral portion of the neck beyond the internal head of the sterno- 
mastoideus, where the phrenic nerve is superficial, and on the sternum 
at the level of the second or third intercostal space) ; tenderness of 
the second, third, fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae ; irradiation of pain 
to shoulders and neck ; and, finally, difficulties of respiration, of masti- 
cation, of deglutition and of movement of the left arm.* 
A comparison of these symptoms with the symptoms generally re- 
garded as indicative of intercostal neuralgia, gastralgia, angina pec- 
toris, shows clearly enough the difficulty of establishing the exist- 
ence of pure and simple diaphragmatic neuralgia; many of the symp- 
toms laid down by Dr. Peter as of diaphragmatic neuralgia are certainly 
not peculiar to it, for they are found in those cases that are commonly 
classed as gastralgia, angina pectoris and intercostal neuralgia. The 
tenderness of the sternum which he speaks of, and also the tenderness 
of the cervical vertebrae, are found in thousands of patients who never 
* Cincinnati Lancet and Observer, May, 1872. 2 
suffer from neuralgia, as such, in the diaphragm or heart or stomach. 
It is not unreasonable to believe that such a disorder as diaphragmatic 
neuralgia, single or uncomplicated, may exist, but it is probable that 
it usually exists, if at all, as a part or complication of gastralgia or 
angina pectoris, and we may fairly suppose that neuralgia may pass 
from the phrenic to the pneumogastric nerve at short notice. 
Dr. Anstie has pointed out the relation that exists between asthma 
and gastralgia and facial neuralgia ; reasoning from aualogy and from 
observation, it would appear to be entirely possible that neuralgia of 
the phrenic nerve might be included in the same family. It is cer- 
tainly true that a constitution which is liable to suffer from gastralgia 
is also liable to suffer from facial neuralgia ; and it is equally certain 
that these diseases may, so to speak, interchange at different periods 
of life, and may take the place of each other. The nervous diathesis 
may, in early life, manifest itself by facial neuralgia, or sick headache; 
later, by gastralgia or angina pectoris ; and, last of all, develope into 
asthma. Like all manifestations of the nervous diathesis, these differ- 
ent neuralgias are subject to hereditary laws, and may be handed 
down, with various modifications, and interchange from generation to 
generation. 
The following cases will illustrate the propositions which have been 
advanced above :— 
Case I.—Severe Gastralgia of fourteen years’ standing; Periodical 
Attacks at Night; Rapid and Permanent Cure under Central Galvani- 
zation.—Dr. S. J. II., a physician aged about 36 years, consulted me in 
the autumn of 1870. For fourteen years he had suffered from attacks of 
gastralgiaof a most violent character ; attacks came on usually at 
night, while in bed, after midnight, before or about two o’clock ; the 
attacks would last sometimes several hours, and the pain was of the 
most distressing character. Of the'various methods of relief that he 
had used, alcoholic liquors seemed to be the most efficacious, but the 
respite they caused was only temporary. The appearance of the pa- 
tient suggested robust health ; nutrition was well maintained and the 
functions were generally well performed. 
Examination gave little information. Disease of the heart had been 
suspected, but the careful and repeated examinations of Dr. Thayer 
established the fact that there was no disease of that organ. Tender- 
ness of the epigastrium in one spot sometimes, but not always, exist- 
ed. My diagnosis was neuralgia, in which the solar plexus had a 
share. I suggested central galvanization. The patient had previously 
tried faradization without any benefit. I had little hopes of helping 
the patient; the persistency and fixity of the symptoms and their pe- 
riodicity gave an unfavorable prognosis, and only by my urgent solici- 
tations did the doctor allow me to experiment on him. 
Treatment by central galvanization was commenced January 3, 1871, 
and was kept up for two months, two or three times weekly. In less 
than two weeks, benefit was apparent; the periodicity and violence of 
the attacks were somewhat modified, and in a month it was evident 
that the disease would yield more or less permanently to the treat- 
ment. Occasional relapses occurred, as always in similar cases, re- 
minders of the former sufferings, showing that the evil spirit was not 
wholly cast out; but in three months from the time the treatment was 
commenced, the patient regarded himself as well. Since that time, 3 
ho has relapsed but once, and then as a result of bad hygiene, and he 
was promptly relieved by a few applications. The only question now 
remaining was, how permanent is this relief? Already, more had been 
done by central galvanization than by any one or by all other methods 
of treatment combined ; but had electricity so modified the nutrition 
of the nerves that they would not again return to their abnormal con- 
dition ? Two years have elapsed ; I have frequently met the patient, 
and he remains well, though constantly engaged in laborious duties. 
Case II.— Gastralgia of six years’ standing, permanently Cured 
by Central Galvanization and General Faradisation.—Mr. S., aged 28, 
was referred to me by Dr. Thayer, Nov. 25tli, 1811. The patient was 
a young merchant who had an excellent constitution, and who had 
never known disease of any kind, by personal experience, until about 
six months before I saw him. ITis appearance indicated health, and 
only his own statement suggested the possibility that he was a suf- 
ferer. The attacks of gastralgia were his only symptoms ; his appe- 
tite was fair, and his sleep was not disturbed by pain ; his capacity 
for muscular or cerebral toil was excellent. The attacks were not so 
violent or so frequent as in other cases that I had seen, but they were 
sufficient to greatly annoy and depress the patient; and there was less 
periodicity than is observed in some cases, and there was more of dull 
aching than of sharp or acute pain. 
Encouraged by my success in far severer cases, I gave the patient a 
favorable prognosis, and at once began the use of central galvaniza- 
tion alternately with general faradization. Relief was effected during 
the first week, and, by December 1st, the patient was almost entirely 
free from pain. Central galvanization seemed to be the more effica- 
cious of the two methods employed; I arrived at this judgment by 
observing the immediate effects of the treatment the same day that the 
application was made. The usual relapse occurred, and caused dis- 
couragement ; but the patient persevered, and by the middle of De- 
cember—three weeks from the time the treatment began—he was en- 
tirely restored, and, up to the date of writing (July 1, 1872), he 
has remained well. 
Case III.—A medical friend of mine, a gentleman of middle life, 
had been troubled for a number of weeks with attacks of gastralgia, 
accompanied with constant dyspeptic symptoms of a most severe cha- 
racter. lie had become pale, and had lost considerable flesh. The 
attacks frequently came on at night, and compelled him to rise and 
use powerful counter-irritation with mustard or bisulphide of carbon. 
In the way of treatment, he had used general faradization, in the 
application of which method of electrization he was well skilled, and 
had adopted a rigid system of diet, but without effect. 
He consulted me in the fall of 1871, and I at once began to treat 
him by central galvanization, and with speedy effect. In a few weeks 
he was entirely cured, and to this day has remained well, save one 
brief relapse, caused by over-indulgence or exposure. The dyspeptic 
symptoms, as well as the gastralgic, disappeared. 
In the above cases, I have laid much stress on the method of central 
galvanization, because in all of them it appeared to have such striking 
elfects. 1 would not by this give the impression that in all such cases 
the method must be used in its entirety ; probably the placing of the 4 
negative pole over the stomach and the positive over the spine might 
suffice ; but, as a rule, in all diseases complicated with debility, I se- 
cure a larger reward from the complete method than from a fraction of 
the method. 
If I should judge from my experience up to this date, I should say 
that the prognosis of gastralgia, under electrical treatment, is better 
than that of any other form of neuralgia under the same treatment. 
In the worst forms of facial neuralgia and sciatica, I often find incom- 
plete results or failure; but, thus far, all my cases of gastralgia have 
recovered.* • 
* The general subject of the treatment of neuralgia by electricity is discussed in my ar- 
ticle on that subject in the London Practitioner for September, 1873. For a description of 
my method of central galvanization, see New York Medical Journal, October 12, 1872.