The Diseases Of Electrical Machinery

VI PRE FACE. struction. A rickety constitution in a dynamo may be the result of inherent imperfection in the forms of those parts which should give strength to the struc- ture, or it may be due to the employment of bad or faulty materials, or to bad workmanship. Diseases acquired as the result of overwork and of neglect, though classified as acquired rather than constitutional, are more likely to exhibit themselves in cases where there is a constitutional weakness than in those where the constitution is initially robust Often, indeed, the Consulting electrical engineer, when required to advise upon some electrical mishap, must have compared his task to that of the medical practitioner. The physician who is called in to see a patient must have the eye, and the training, to detect the constitutional taint as well as the more obviously present cause of mischief. When called into consultation upon the human sub- ject, the physician’s first inquiry is as to the symptoms that present themselves. Perhaps a clinical exami- nation may be needed to ascertain the whole of the symptoms in a case. The diagnosis being completed, a course of treatment suggests itself. A wide ex- perience is here invaluable. A surgical operation may be necessary, or perhaps bandages and poultices may accomplish all that is required. Simple rest and change of diet often accomplish wonderful cures ; but in neglected cases, long and careful nursing may be the only hope. Every profession has its failures. Behind the physician—one speaks. of it lightly—lies