An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism: With a Series of Curious and Interesting Experiments Performed Before the Commissioners of the French National Institute, and Repeated Lately in the Anatomical Theatres of LondonAldini, Giovanni
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An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism: With a Series of Curious and Interesting Experiments Performed Before the Commissioners of the French National Institute, and Repeated Lately in the Anatomical Theatres of London
Aldini, Giovanni
Electricity -- Early works to 1850
I have already proved by a series of experiments, addressed to C.
Lacepede, that flame made to form part of the arc applied to the
nerves and muscles of a frog, prevents muscular contractions. I
repeated the experiment, with the same result, on several warm-blooded
animals. I observed that the flame interposed in the arc, which
touched the back and belly of the torpedo, prevented the electric
shocks.
PROPOSITION X.
_Certain fluids, applied to the whole surface of the pile, or of
animal parts, do not prevent the action of Galvanism._
EXPERIMENT I.
Two years ago, I made various experiments on this subject at Florence,
with the celebrated Fontana; and we found that a pile, composed of a
hundred plates of zinc and silver, after being immersed some time in
common water, still exercised a very strong action. Professor Fontana
informs me, in a letter, that he has performed the same experiment
several ways, and always with the same success.
EXPERIMENT II.
Being desirous to examine the nature of the element inhabited by the
numerous family of fishes, which are also subject to the influence of
the Galvanic processes, I filled with sea-water thirty earthen
vessels; and having formed a communication between them, by means of
heterogeneous arcs, composed of brass and zinc, I obtained a shock,
which appeared to me stronger than that obtained with artificial salt
water. By establishing an arc with only five of these vessels, the
action was very sensible. A pile composed of pieces of pasteboard,
moistened with sea-water, and entirely immersed in the same water,
gave, when tried, very strong shocks.
EXPERIMENT III.
I was able to prove the action of the Galvanic pile and of metals
under water, by the following simple experiment: I placed a plate of
zinc at the bottom of a vessel filled with salt water, (Plate II. fig.
6.). A person then brought the spinal marrow of a frog into contact
with the surface of the salt water; and another person, absolutely
insulated, touched with a silvered copper wire the plate of zinc.
Every time that the wire was brought into contact with the zinc,
muscular contractions took place. I am well aware, that the advocates
for metallic electricity will deduce from the plain statement of this
fact, an induction contrary to Galvanism; but my candour, on this
occasion, will show how much I am attached to the cause of truth.
EXPERIMENT IV.
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