59 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Angelique's relatives resolved, at length, to take the electrical girl 

 to Paris in order to submit her to the examination of the academicians. 

 During the public stance on the 17th of February at the Academie 

 des Sciences, the secretary, Arago, published the experiments to which 

 Dr. Sanchon had subjected the girl, and read a notice given him by 

 this physician, which appeared in the official Compte liendu of this 

 session. It is as follows : 



"I have twice," says Dr. Sanchon, "seen the electrical girl (Angelique Cot- 

 tin). A chair which I was holding as firmly as possible with my foot and both 

 hands, was suddenly torn from my grasp when she sat upon it. A little strip 

 of paper which I balanced on my finger was blown away several times as though 

 by a sudden rush of wind. A dining-table of considerable size, and quite heavy, 

 was several times displaced and pushed by the mere contact of tbe girl's clothes. 

 A small paper wheel, placed vertically or horizontally upon its axis, received a 

 rapid motion from the emanations which proceeded from the cbild's wrist and 

 elbow-joint. A very large and heavy sofa, on which I was seated, was violently 

 pushed against the wall when the young girl placed herself beside me. A chair 

 held to the ground by strong persons, on which I sat in a manner so as to oc- 

 cupy but half of it, was suddenly pushed from under me when the girl sat upon 

 the remaining half. A remarkable fact is, that each time the chair was raised; 

 it seemed to adhere to the girl's clothes ; she followed it for an instant, and then 

 disengaged herself. Two little balls of elder-wood, or small pieces of quill sus- 

 pended by a silk thread, were disturbed, attracted, and finally separated one from 

 the other. 



" Tbe young girl's emanations were not permanent during the day ; they 

 appeared in the evening, from seven to nine o'clock : this gives me the idea that 

 her last meal, which she takes at six o'clock, has some influence in regard to 

 them. They recurred on tbe anterior surface of the body, particularly at the 

 wrist and elbow. They only recurred in the left side ; tbe arm on this side was 

 warmer than the other ; a gentle warmth was radiated from it as from a member 

 on which a vivid reaction takes place. This part of the body was trembling and 

 continually affected by unusual contractions and quivering, which seemed to be 

 communicated to any hand that touched her. During the time that I noticed 

 this young person, her pulse varied from 105 to 120 ; it often appeared irregular. 

 When the girl was removed from the common reservoir, either by placing her 

 in a chair without letting her feet touch the ground, or by resting her feet 

 against those of another person standing before her, the phenomenon did not 

 take place ; it also ceased when she put her hands beneath her on sitting down. 

 A waxed floor, a piece of oil-cloth, or a plate of glass, put under her feet or upon 

 her chair, equally destroys her electric faculty. 



"During tbe paroxysm, the girl can hardly touch anything with her left 

 hand without causing it to be thrown some distance ; when her clothes come in 

 contact with pieces of furniture, she attracts, displaces, and finally overturns 

 them. This will be better conceived when the fact is known that, at each 

 electric discharge, she endeavors to escape in order to avoid the result ; she says 

 that she always feels a pricking sensation at her wrist and elbow. In searching 

 for the pulse in the temporal artery, not being able to appreciate it in the left 

 arm, my fingers inadvertently touched tbe nape of the neck ; instantly the girl 

 uttered a cry, and disengaged herself from me. In the region of the cerebellum 

 (I have tested this many times), where the muscles of the upper portion of the 



