Safety Measures

http://cr4.globalspec.com/search/sitesearch?do=show&sort=textmatchrank&srch=electric%20shock&order=asc

The Chinese government has just announced that electric shock therapy is no longer to be used as a treatment for youngsters who are apparently addicted to the Internet, as there is no scientific evidence to back up claims that it actually works.

From here. Yeesh! The stuff you find on the internet!

If you're talking about Washington DC, then the effect it has on the human body has always been one of stress, disorientation, increased blood pressure and confusion.

Both AC and DC are quite painful...I don't recommend going around touching things that will shock you to test this theory, either. Certain amounts of either AC or DC current flowing through your brain/heart will kill you.

Also, from wiki:

The comparison between the dangers of alternating current and direct current has been a subject of debate ever since the War of Currents in the 1880s. DC tends to cause continuous muscular contractions that make the victim hold on to a live conductor, thereby increasing the risk of deep tissue burns. On the other hand, mains-magnitude AC tends to interfere more with the heart's electrical pacemaker, leading to an increased risk of fibrillation. AC at higher frequencies holds a different mixture of hazards, such as RF burns and the possibility of tissue damage with no immediate sensation of pain. A common misconception is that higher frequency AC current tends to run along the skin rather than penetrating and touching vital organs such as the heart due to the skin effect. This is false, as the human body has far too high a resistance for this effect to occur. While there will be severe burn damage at higher frequencies, it is normally not fatal.

shocking answers

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=effect+of+dc+on+the+body&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GZEU_en&redir_esc=&ei=TG19TMu1JsfKjAf97cHSDg

History of the elecric chair

http://www.ccadp.org/electricchair.htm