Massage

Massage, a system of treatment which consists in the mechanical manipulation by stroking, rubbing, kneading, etc., of the various parts of the body, with a view to improving muscular nutrition, aiding the removal of waste products from the tissues, promoting the circulation of the blood, and the like. Massage has been employed with benefit in certain forms of paralysis, in joint affections, sciatica, in dropsical effusions, and for the relief of certain conditions of the stomach (dyspepsia, dilatation of the stomach, etc.), as also in neuralgia, insomnia, and hysteria.