Electric Shock Therapy

The purpose of this communication is to summarize our clinical observations and to describe more comprehensively studies of the blood and urine made immediately before treatments and at short intervals after convulsions. CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS Tolerance. —The following observations on the threshold for convulsions appear to be noteworthy: With 1 patient, three attempts made at five minute intervals to induce a convulsion by application of a current of 450, 500 and 550 milliamperes respectively for three-tenths second in the first treatment and two attempts by application of a current of 500 and 550 milliamperes for five-tenths second in the second treatment were followed by momentary loss of consciousness; five minutes later 600 milliamperes given for five-tenths second caused a severe convulsion, which lasted forty-five seconds. In the third treatment 650 and 675 milliamperes, again given at an interval of five minutes, induced only momentary loss of consciousness. In the fourth treatment