A handheld treatment device is for applying electrical impulses to a living body through the surface of the body, for treating a variety of clinical conditions. The device comprises first and second electrodes for contact with the skin a waveform generator for repeatedly generating an AC waveform for applying electrical impulses through the electrodes to the skin a detector for detecting changes in the skin impedance and for generating output signals representing the skin impedance means responsive to the output signals from the detector for monitoring the responsivity of the skin and indicator means for generating a first indication when a predetermined level of responsivity is reached and a second indication when a pre-determined treatment has been administered. The device is characterised by a treatment patch comprising a flexible sheet having on one surface said first and second electrodes separated by insulation a pair of leads connected respectively to said first and second electrodes and a connection arrangement attached to the first and second leads for connecting the electrodes with said waveform generator. Each electrode comprises at least one elongate strip, with the, or each, strip of the first electrode being separated from the, or each adjacent, strip of the second electrode by a, or a respective, line of said insulation.
