]40 oN ANIMAL SECRETIONS. 



and containing the conductors, it was found that the gase- 

 <fcis products had forced out nearly the whole of the blood, 

 at that part through which the wires were inserted ; alka- 

 line and acid matter were readily detected, but no new pro- 

 duct could be discovered. 



Finding the coagulation of the blood an insurmountable 

 obstacle to the long continued electrical action, the serum 

 only was employed in the following experiments. 



Experiment 3. 10th of March, 180<>. 



Serum »xpos- The conductors from one hundred and twenty four-inch 

 jttoahigh double plates, highly charged, were brought within two 



«, inches of each other, in some recent serum of blood, ob- 



tained free from the colouring matter, by carefully pouring 

 it off from the coagulum. Coagulated albumen was ra- 

 pidly separated at the negative pole, and alkaline matter 

 evolved : at the positive pole a small quantity of albumen 

 was gradually deposited, and litmus paper indicated the 

 presence of acid. These are the effects produced by a high 

 electrical power upon serum. 



Experiment 4, 14th of April, 1809, 



toalow power, Was undertaken to ascertain the effect of a low power ; a 

 battery was employed, consisting of twelve four-inch double 

 plates of copper aid iron. In this case, there was at first 

 no appearance of coagulation at either pole ; in five minutes 

 the positive wire became covered with a film of albumen, 

 and in fifteen minutes a filament of about a quarter of an 

 inch in length was seen floating in the fluid, and adhering 

 to the same wire. 



Experiment 5. 6th of May, 1809- 



and to a Tery Two small platina cups, connected by a large quantity of 

 )av power. cotton well washed, and each containing one ounce of Serum, 

 were rendered positive and negative, by thirty double three- 

 inch plates very weakly charged. The process was conti- 

 nued during twenty-four hours. This power had not been 

 sufficient to produce coagulation at the negative pole. On 

 examining the fluid in the negative cup, it was found to con- 

 sist principally of an alkaline solution of albumen. 



The 



