Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: the treatment of choice for pain and depression.

619 Electrotherapy for pain has been used since 2751 BC (Kellaway, 1946) but entered modern use in 1919 with the introduction of the Electreat (Shealy, 1974). Working with this device in 1966, I asked engineers to create a similar modern solid-state unit. Initially reluctant, engineers created the first solid-state stimulator for pain control in 1971, the Stim-Tech® and shortly thereafter the Neuromod,® (Medtronic, Columbia Heights, MN) but neither unit produced my desired optimal quality of stimulation. The pharmaceutical industry tried to destroy transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) when Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ) took over Stim-Tech. The parent company apparently felt that this device could compete with Tylenol® (Johnson & Johnson)! In 1982 a Federal court suit led to a $77 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson for fraud. To a large extent the pharmaceutical