SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



61 



notwithstanding the wire was fo repeatedly wound round my 

 arm, my body, my thigh, and my leg, without yielding, in 

 this long courfe, the flighteft effect : I repeated this experi- 

 ment with the fame fuccefs ; and foon difcovered that the 

 fhock I received in my foot, to the exclufion of the other 

 points of contact, was only occafioned by the affinity of the 

 water for the galvanic fluid, and becaufe it foftened the epi- 

 dermis : but that which convinced me of it, was, that on and in various 

 putting drops of water alternately, on the turns of the wire, J^^" c J^ ft 

 and then bringing that connected with the copper pole in con- conductor, by 



tad with it, I inftantly felt the (hock at the places where the P !acin S dro P s of 

 . „ . . r r • water on it. 



drops or water were put, and experienced no ieniation in 



my foot. I repeated this experiment, putting a drop of water 

 upon the feveral turns of the wire, and connecting the cop- 

 per pole with it : fimilar effects were produced without my 

 perceiving the flighteft fenfation lower down; although I had 

 neglected to wipe off the moifture occafioned by the dif- 

 ferent drops of water. I obferve, .in this operation, the rule Conclufioas. 

 which governs electricity, that is to fay, that it is difpofed to 

 give the fpark by the fliorteft way ; but, on the other hand, I 

 alfo find, that the galvanic fluid is inclined to feek an affinity 

 which does not feem to agree with the electric fluid; becaufe, 

 we obtain a fpark from the firft contact, but here, the galvanic 

 fluid paffes through a confiderable fpace of the moft intimate 

 points of contact, without lofmg any of its power, and pro- 

 duces no fenfation until it has found an affinity favourable to 

 its difengagement. I felt alfo the moft diftinct effects, on 

 taking a wire of great length in one hand, with which I 

 touched the pofitive pole, as in the former experiment I made 

 a long circuit with it entirely round my room, and having 

 brought back the end to my left hand, I put the right in 

 contact, and felt a fimilar fhock in my right hand, but if I 

 took a wire of two feet in that hand, without being careful 

 to wet it as well as the other, I felt nothing. The fluid 

 pafled through the long circuit of the wire to reach that 

 point which offered the greateft affinity ; thus I placed a con- 

 ductor at either pole, and uniformly felt the lhock from that pole 

 which I touched with my naked and moiftened hand. 



Such were my observations on this feries of experiments. 



It will be the greateft fatisfaction to me, if they fhould give 

 rife to fuch clear opinions as may tend to the good of humanity 

 and to the progrefs of the arts and fciences. 



Galvanic 



