e the surface
board is applied to be the centre, and the rest of the body the
periphery, a current runs between _every point_ of the periphery and the
centre, its direction being centripetal when the surface board
communicates with the negative, centrifugal when with the positive pole
of the battery.

The current is felt more or less intensely in proportion to the
proximity to the body of the surface board. With the galvanic this is
less noticeable than with the faradic current. When, for example, a
faradic current of medium strength being employed, the surface board is
held about six inches from the abdominal surface, little or no current
is felt. Let the surface board be now gradually approximated to the
abdomen, and the current will be felt more and more sensibly, until,
when about an inch away from the skin, or touching this, its influence
becomes so strong as to cause more or less energetic contractions of the
abdominal muscles. Where the galvanic current is employed, the skin
beneath the surface board will be found more or less reddened after a
few minutes' application; the burning sensation ordinarily accompanying
galvanic applications will also be experienced more or less intensely,
in proportion to the strength of the current employed.

Where the current is to be concentrated in a manner still more energetic
than that described, this can be effected by raising the objective part
above the surface of the water, and then applying the surface board. In
this way the _entire_ strength of the current is concentrated in one
spot, whereas, when the surface board is applied under water, a large
portion of current is absorbed by this.

This appears to me the fittest place to say a few words in regard to the
relative conductivity of the human body and water--the latter at the
temperature ordinarily employed in baths, say from 90 deg. to 95 deg.
Fahrenheit. BEARD and ROCKWELL, in their work on Medical and Surgical
Electricity,[2] state that "the human body is a better conductor of
electricity than water at the same temperature." Certain phenomena
connected with the administration of electric baths having forced upon
me some doubts in this respect, I made very careful experiments, both
with and without the aid of the galvanometer (Bradley's Tangent), to
satisfy these. Without wearying the reader with details, I will state
that the result of my experiments leaves no room for doubt that water at
the temperatures stated--an