ON T«£ ACTION OF GALVANISM. HI 



The fluid of a pile of 25 pair of plates of fils r er and zinc, on metals and 

 of the fize of a crown piece, feparated by difcs of pafteboard water » 

 moiftened in* water, faturated with muriate of ammonia, oxi- 

 dates the metals by decompofing the water, while it is fcarcely- 

 perceptible to the fingers, and (hews but very fmall fparks. 

 Brilliant electric fparks, which are fharply felt by our bodies, 

 do not oxidate the metals, or decompofe the water, if they are 

 not fo ftrong as to explode. On pafling the galvanic ftream 

 through the body of a frog, it has happened that his humours onYrogs. 

 have been decompofed, and I have feen him fwell fo prodigioufly, 

 that he was unable to fink himfelf below the water, though 

 perfectly lively ; this I have never obferved in frogs tormented 

 by exploding fparks. All thefe facts, to which I could add many 

 others, prove the fuperior activity of galvanifm, when com- 

 pared with electricity. Hence it refults, that the fluid from utility of Volta'j 

 the electro-motor of Volta maybe highly ufeful in cafes where ele&ro-motor. 

 the ordinary electricity is not fufficiently active. You are ac- 

 quainted with fome of the experiments which I have made 

 with my colleagues, Julio and Roffi ; we have others ftill more 

 interefting, which have determined phyfiological facts that 

 have always been doubtful from a want of the means of veri- 

 fying them. Laftly, we have tried the application of it in fe- 

 veral diforders with the greateft fuccefs. Here are three in- 

 ftances : 



A lady, about 30 years of age, after a continuation of vio- Cure of agutta 

 lent pain in the head, loft the fight of the right eye. Citizen ^ fm ^ y gaI ~ 

 Roffi was confulted on the complaint, and after a careful exa- 

 mination of this eye, which to appearance was as healthy and 

 clear as the left, he concluded that it could be only a paralytic 

 of the optic nerve, or what is called a guttafercna, which, al- 

 lowing the patient to fee only a thick mill, increafed her mif- 

 fortune, while it alfo contributed to derange the fight of the 

 other eye, fo that the was in continual fear of falling, and was 

 not even able to difcern with the right eye thofe objects which 

 were within her reach. Roffi, being indifpofed, fent to me to 

 apply galvanifm. I formed a pile of thirty pair of fuch plates 

 as are mentioned above, and making ufe of gold cords for con- 

 ductors, I cauled the galvanic ftream to enter clofe to the ex- 

 ternal angle of the eye, and to pafs out fometimes through the 

 eye-brow ; fometimes exactly at the opthalmic vein, which 

 goes through the hole of the orbit ; and fometimes clofe to the 



internal 



