110 ON THE ACTION OF GALVANISM* 



the ordinary converfations of well-informed people ; and, a3 

 always happens, when a difcovery is the topic, fome have ex- 

 aggerated its advantages, and others have defpi fed it. This 

 diverfity of opinion led our aflbciate, citizen Charles Boffi, 

 (qu. Rofli) to propofe two judicious queftions to me, which I 

 have endeavoured to refolve in the following letter, written to 

 him in the beginning of Vendemiaire. I could eafilyhave fwelled 

 it to greater extent by additional reafons and numerous inftances 

 of cures obtained by means of galvanifm and electricity, as 

 well as with others of misfortunes, occafioned by thefe fluids, 

 and with the conftant correfpondence which I have obferved 

 between the moral powers, that is to fay, the ftrength of mind 

 and courage of the viclims of juftice, and the effects of the 

 galvanic fluid upon their bodies ; but thefe obfervations belong 

 to the general report of the experiments we have made fince 

 , the 26th Thermidor ; I (hall, therefore, confine my felf to pre- 

 fenting you the letter which I wrote at the above-mentioned 

 time. 

 Queftions for " You afked me, in one of our late academic fittings, 



difcuflion. whence it arofe that, after the number of experiments made 



by the raoft able philofophers of the pad: age, on the electric 

 fluid, the difcovery of which is one of its moft brilliant con- 

 quers, fo little is determined relative to the medical action of 

 this fluid on (he human body ; and whether galvanifm appears 

 really already to promife refujts of more utility in the art of 

 healing ? I fhail inform you what my opinion is, or rather, I 

 fliall fubmit to you the inferences, which the different experi- 

 ments made by me alone, or in which I have affifted and wit- 

 neffed, have enabled me to draw with more certainty than I 

 ever dared to hope when I began ferioufly to engage in this 

 purfuit. 

 Galvanifm con- I confider galvanifm as a modification of electricity, which 

 fidered as a mo- renders that fluid more active; as the fmall flame, ieparated 

 tricity. " ty lne blow-pipe, is infinitely more powerful than the large 



flame from which it proceeds. I have read feveral experi- 

 ments to the clafs, which fupport this parallel between electric 

 Proofs of its ef- city and galvanifm. Animals which had been only ftunned 

 fefts on animals, by t j ie mo ft powerful explofions of the magic table, were 

 killed in lefs than three minutes by galvanifm, which was far 

 from being flrong. 



The 



