Acupuncture

Acupuncture or puncture with a needle, a method of treatment at one time in considerable vogue, now but rarely made use of. In cases of chronic rheumatism and neuralgia it is still occasionally adopted. In sciatica, for example, a steel needle is sometimes passed into the back of the thigh, right down to the bone, and there left for two or three hours. The relief afforded is occasionally considerable, and, if carefully performed, the operation is a simple and comparatively painless one. Obviously, however, it is not to be lightly undertaken, and, in particular, an intimate acquaintance with anatomy is necessary for its safe execution. Acupuncture has now fallen into some disrepute, largely on account of the extent to which quackery has been associated with it.