62 SCIENTIFIC NEWSj 



Galvanic Experiments, tending to afcertain the Exijlence of Tib* 

 Fluids in the Animal Economy, the one pojitive and the other 

 negative, which, by their Union, appear to produce the Agency 

 of Vitality, by La Grave, Member of the Galvanic Society *. 



Galvanic pile BEING defirous of fatisfying myfelf concerning the pheno* 



cle'and branT * mena which are exhibited in the experiments made on frogs; 

 with cloth by bringing part of each of their thighs in contact upon the 



interpoied. cervical nerves, and perfuaded that this fact could only pro- 

 ceed from the concurrence of two fluids, the one pofitiveand 

 the other negative, as we find it in the pile of Volta, I felt 

 inclined to form a pile, compofcd of the nervous and mufcular 

 parts alternately. With this view, I procured a body, and 

 prepared and uncovered, as much as poffible, a certain num- 

 ber of the pectoral and intercoltal mufcles, which I cut into 

 the form of difcs; I then took the brain, not being able in this 

 experiment to make ufe of the nervous cords, and cut, as thin 

 as I could, the fame number of difcs as I had prepared from 

 the mufcular parts. Of thefe I raifed a pile to the number of 

 fifteen or fixteen couple, placing between the pairs, pieces of 

 cloth moiftened in falted water. It was in vain that I endea- 

 voured to raife my pile with the pieces of cloth ; the foft parts 

 of the brain and their flexibility prevented it. I attempted it 

 feveral times, becaufe the experiment appeared to me to be 

 curious, but I could not fucceed. Being ftijl defirous to over- 

 come thefe difficulties, it occurred to me that pieces of leather 

 or of hat might fulfil my wifhes, as they poflefs a proper ftifF- 



ti , .». , nefs to fupport the foft part of the brain. In fact, I tried 



r;at fubuituted rr * 



/oi icth. both, but thofe of hat foon obtained the preference over the 



pieces of leather, becaufe they have the quality of being po- 

 rous, of retaining the moifture better, and of poflefling a de- 

 gree of elafticity, which the leather has not. I then made 

 fbme frefli preparations of mufcleand brain, and raifed a pile, 

 making ufe of difcs of hat for feparating them ; but after hav- 

 ing raifed my pile to twenty couple, I experienced new diffi- 

 culties. The cerebral parts were crulhed and began to efcape 

 from the weight of the pile. I need not obferve that I took 

 care to examine whether this fmall number of pairs was fuf 

 ficient to produce the tafte. I obtained no effect from the 



* From the Journal de Phyfique, Ventofe, An. XI. 



twentieth 

 2 



