ON THE ACTION OF GALVANISM. 113 



fymptoms of hydrophobia. He could no longer bear the fight 

 of water without flmddering ; an inflammation of the throat 

 obftructed his fwallowing even chewed bread, and a violent 

 defire to bite appeared every inftant. 



In this ftate he was brought to citizen Rofli, who perceiving 

 that he could not endure the fight of water, or even of any 

 mining body, prepared, in another room, a pile of 50 pairs of 

 zinc and lilver plates, feparated by 50 difcs of pafteboard, 

 moiftened in a folution of muriate of ammonia ; he then made 

 ufe of fmall ftrips of moiftened white brown paper for a con- 

 ductor, on which he caufed the naked feet of the patient to be 

 placed, and at the moment he opened his mouth to bite, he 

 thruft in the end of the conducting-rod, which communicated 

 with the other extremity of the pile. The patient fuffered 

 much during this operation, which, after feveral (hocks, ren- 

 dered him fo weak, that he was unable to ftand : being then 

 extended on the floor, he was galvanifed with facility. The 

 operation produced a copious perfpiration. After fome time, 

 Rofli caufed the man to be carried home, with directions that 

 he fhould be brought again the following day, that the opera- 

 tion might be repeated. It was at two o'clock in the afternoon 

 that the patient was galvanifed, at fix o'clock on the following 

 morning he came alone to citizen Rofli, to tell him he was 

 perfectly cured, for he felt no pain, nor difficulty in fwallow* 

 ing, and had entirely loft all averfion to water and other li- 

 quids : but no arguments could induce him to fubmit to ano- 

 ther operation. 



In a few days after, fome flight pains having caufed him to 

 dread a new attack of the hydrophobia, he returned to Rofli, 

 who, by galvanifm, again removed all the fymptoms. This 

 cure was likewife performed in prefence of feveral people. 

 The patient is poflefled of fuch fenfibility, that more than a 

 month afterwards he felt the fenfation of galvanic fliocks as 

 far as his fhoulders, which I could fcarcely perceive beyond 

 the third joint of the finger, and I am not among the leaft fuf- 

 ceptible. From thefe eflays you will perceive what benefits 

 may be hoped from galvanifm. I do not doubt that an agent Benefits to te 

 of fuch activity may be the means of preferving many indivi- expe&ed from 

 duals from the grave, by applying it at the moment when an 

 accidental caufe has fufpended the functions of the vital organs. 



Vol. V.— June. I This 



