ON ANIMAL SECRETIONS, 139 



produced in the blood by electricity, at all similar to secre- on the action 

 tion, Mr. W. Brande, who has begun his career in animf! oath*b22l 

 chemistry with so much success, made the following experi- 

 ments, in the suggestion of which Mr. Davy afforded him 

 every assistance. 



Experiment 1. Middle of January, 1800. 



The conductors from twenty-four four-inch double plates Blood drawn 

 of copper and zinc, charged with a very weak solution of a " ec ^ c P ^ S ° 

 muriatic acid, were immersed in four ounces of blood, im- 

 mediately on its having been drawn from a viin in the arm. 

 The temperature of the blood was kept up at 100° during 

 the experiment. The apparatus was so constructed, as to 

 admit of the products at the negative and positive wires be- 

 ing separately collected and examined. When the electri- 

 zation had been carried on for a quarter of an hour, all ac- 

 tion seemed to have ceased. The blood, which had sur- 

 rounded the negative wire, was of a deep red colour, and 

 extremely alkaline ; that surrounding the positive wire was 

 slightly acid, and of a blighter hue. 



In this experiment, the coagulation of the blood was not 

 materially affected by the electrical power alluded to. 



Experiment 2. 8th of February, 1809, 



Finding it necessary to submit perfectly fluid blood to Blood exposed 



the action of electricity, the following experiment was un- to electricltv in 



J . " a vein, 



dertaken with a view of keeping it in the longest possible 



time in that state. 



A deer having been pithed, the abdomen was immediately 



openeo into, and a length of about four inches of a large 



vein in the mesocolon was detached from the neighbouring: 



parts. Two small platina wires, connected in the usual 



way with forty three-inch double plates, were inserted into 



this detached portion of vein, and secured by ligatures, 



having their points at a distance of about one inch from 



each other. The communication with the battery was kept 



up for one quarter of an hour, a third ligature was then 



tied in the centre of the detached vein, in order to cut off 



the connection between the po*itive and negative ends. On 



removing the portion of the vein included by the ligatures, 



