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A History of Neurostimulation

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Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches

Abstract

The word “electricity” comes from the word “ēlektron,” the Greek word for amber. Greek scientists found that when Amber, the fossilized resin of trees, was rubbed with another material, it created sparks of electricity. The capture or harnessing of these sparks led to the ability to utilize electricity in many applications, including the treatment of human disease conditions.

The earliest documented use of electricity to treat pain occurred around 63 ad. Scribonius Largus discovered that pain from gout could be relieved by contact with a torpedo fish and suggested that this treatment would be effective for generalized pain relief and treatment.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Pain Relief, Inc., 400 Court Street, Suite 100, Charleston, WV, 25301, USA

    Jeffrey T. B. Peterson

  2. The Center for Pain Relief, 400 Court Street, Suite 302, Charleston, WV, 25301, USA

    Timothy R. Deer M.D.

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston, WV, USA

    Timothy R. Deer M.D.

Authors
  1. Jeffrey T. B. Peterson
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  2. Timothy R. Deer M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey T. B. Peterson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Pain Relief, Inc., West Virginia University, 400 Court Street, Suite 100, Charleston, 25301, West Virginia, USA

    Timothy R. Deer

  2. Stanford Pain Management Center, Redwood City, CA, Clinic Chief, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, 94065, California, USA

    Michael S. Leong

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Rush Medical College, Professor, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA

    Asokumar Buvanendran

  4. Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, 17033-0850, Pennsylvania, USA

    Vitaly Gordin

  5. Center for Interventional Pain and Spine, Newark, DE USA, Medical Director, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, 19010, Pennsylvania, USA

    Philip S. Kim

  6. President, National Institute of Pain, Tampa, 33558, Florida, USA

    Sunil J. Panchal

  7. The LITE Center, Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Director, School of Medicine, Miami, 33143, Florida, USA

    Albert L. Ray

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© 2013 American Academy of Pain Medicine

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Peterson, J.T.B., Deer, T.R. (2013). A History of Neurostimulation. In: Deer, T., et al. Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_56

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_56

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1559-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1560-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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