shock treatmentn.
/ˈʃɒk ˌtriːtm(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈʃɑk ˌtritmənt/ 1.
a. Originally: †improvement of a pre-existing illness after the occurrence of severe physical or mental trauma (obsolete rare); treatment of physical or mental conditions by the deliberate induction of the medical condition shock (shock n.3 9a) (now historical and rare). In later use: treatment of certain mental or cardiac conditions by the delivery of an electric shock or shocks; cf. electroshock n. Also: an instance of either of these types of treatment.Cf. shock therapy n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > psychiatry > [noun] > shock treatments
shock therapy1917
insulin treatment1938
photoshock1953
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > [noun] > shock treatment
shock treatment1908
1908 Pedagogical Seminary 15 467 The shock treatment is not a panacea, however.
1924 Arch. Dermatol. & Syphilol. 10 627 Marie and Kohen have now a record of more than ninety general paralysis cases in which bismuth associated with shock treatment was followed by pronounced remissions.
1932 Venereal Dis. Information 13 128 Shock treatment [of syphilis] with serum, milk, autohemotherapy, or pyretherapy may be useful.
1940 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 18 May 807/2 She was considered fit to undergo shock treatment... After three shocks she began to feel herself.
1974 Listener 24 Jan. 124/3 Munch suffered a complete breakdown, received shock treatment at a clinic in Copenhagen.
1995 P. Conroy Beach Music (1996) xxxviii. 705 Soon after, I received the first of four shock treatments, which calmed me almost to the point of insentience.
2021 W. Hua et al. in H. Zhu Sudden Death xviii. 293 Extending detection time to wait for spontaneous termination of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation will reduce unnecessary shock treatment and mortality as well.
b. figurative. The use of extreme or severe measures to change a system or solve a problem as quickly as possible.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > resolving of problem, solution > [noun] > specific method
elimination1850
synectics1961
1920 E. R. Calthrop Horse Foreword 4 He was never cruel to his pupils [sc. horses], and, although at first afraid of an ingenious shock treatment.., they ended by obviously enjoying it thoroughly.
1923 Bull. Amer. Assoc. Univ. Professors 9 24 Save in certain special cases that require shock treatment, it is better to save the talented, than to drop and later restore them.
1945 A. Koestler Yogi & Commissar iii. iii. 202 It will take some time for the statesmen..to get accustomed to the new game—that diplomatic shock-treatment of which they have so far only had a faint foretaste.
1971 Daily Mail 3 Dec. 2/3 The Government's answer will be to give industry some shock treatment.
2020 Wall St. Jrnl. 29 Oct. a1/4 Mr. Macron cast the new lockdown as a form of shock treatment aimed at halting the virus's momentum.
2. Treatment of the medical condition shock (shock n.3 9a).
ΚΠ
1910 U.S. Naval Med. Bull. 4 172 In addition the usual shock treatment was given, strychnia, hot water bags, etc.
1960 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 Apr. 996/1 A trial of local penicillin prophylaxis was carried out on patients with small or medium-sized burns which did not have immediate skin-grafting or require shock treatment.
2006 A. Kingsnorth & A. A. Majid Fund. Surg. Pract. (ed. 2) viii. 125/1 Improving circulation and perfusion is the cornerstone of shock treatment.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2022).
<
n.1908