Darsonvalism

/dɑrˈsoʊnvəlɪzəm/ noun

Definition

A therapeutic practice using high-frequency electrical currents for medical treatment, named after French inventor Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval.

Etymology

From Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval (1851-1940), a French physician and inventor, plus the suffix -ism. D'Arsonval developed diathermy and high-frequency current therapy in the late 19th century, which became known as darsonvalism.

Kelly Says

Darsonvalism sounds like science fiction, but people in the 1920s-1950s actually used machines that zapped you with electrical currents thinking it cured everything—it was medical trending before Instagram!

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