Medical treatment using electrical currents applied to the body to reduce pain, stimulate muscles, or promote healing.
From electro- (Greek elektron) + therapy (Greek therapeia). Developed as a medical practice in the 1800s after scientists like Luigi Galvani discovered electricity could make muscles twitch.
Galvani discovered this by accident when he was dissecting frogs and noticed their legs twitched when touched with different metals—this 'galvanic effect' led doctors to realize they could harness electricity as medicine, literally launching the field.
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