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Medical Physics
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Electrolytic Burn

 Human body is a sac containing sodium and potassium

 NaCl is chief natural salt of the body

 As constant current oases through the tissues, its splits up sodium chloride
into sodium ions and chlorine ions

 Na ions are attracted to cathode, here they are liberated on the surface of the
body

 If there is sufficient moisture is present, Na ions will dissolve in water without

damaging the skin

 But if, water is insufficient, this metal will deposited in the tissues and can
cause serious effects
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 This can produce severe burns as phosphoric or nitric acid

 These burns occur more commonly at the places where the

current is concentrated, because more ions are directed to such
spots

 Electric burns are destructive and devitalization of the tissues is

very deep and thus slow in healing

 They easily become septic and leave unsightly scars

 Thus prevention is of great importance

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Treatment of electrolytic burns

 Try full effort to keep the involved part aseptic

 Skin around the are must be washed with weak antiseptic solutions regularly
such as 1 in 40 carbolic lotion

 Wound is then dressed and covered properly

 Avoid dry dressings

 An antiseptic ointment like boracic, eucalyptus, and resin ointments must be used

 If wound become septic, don’t use ointments, use 4 hourly boracic fomentations
(chemical breakdown using bacteria, yeast, or microorganisms) until it becomes
clean again

 Even a small electrolytic burn takes weeks to heal

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Thermionic Emission

 Emission of electrons or ions from a heated surface

 This happens because the thermal energy given to the carrier overcomes the binding
potentials

 Charge carriers are called thermions

 After emission, the charge will initially be left behind in the emitting region that is equal
in magnitude but opposite in sign to the total charge emitted

 If emitter is connected to the battery, then charge left behind will be neutralized by
charge supplied by the battery

 As the charge carriers move away from the emitter, the emitter will be in the same state
as it was before emission

 Thermionic emission is also called thermal electron emission

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Examples of thermionic emission

 Emission of electrons from a hot cathode in vacuum tube

(Edison effect)

 Vacuum emission from metals tends to become significant only

for temperatures over 1000 K