Mr. G. Bird oti the Action of Electricity on Albumen. 357 



this subject, will include an explanation of electro-chemical 

 action generally. 



[NOTE. — We may take this opportunity of referring those 

 who are interested in the philosophy of molecular action, to the 

 account of the theories of Father boscovich and Mr. Michell, 

 in Dr. Priestley's Disquisitions on Matter and Spirit, vol. i. 

 p. 38, &c. ; and in his Correspondence with Dr. Price, pp. 47, 

 24?3, &c. This account, we think, may be advantageously read 

 in connexion with the memoir of M.Mossotti. In a Memoir 

 on the Absorption of Light, the continuation of which will ap- 

 pear in the next Part of Scientific Memoirs, the Baron 

 von Wrede says, " We must not be thought too bold when we 

 suggest that by observations on the absorption or light we 

 may find a new way opened to us of viewing the constitution 

 of matter which may perhaps lead to results that could be at- 

 tained in no other way." — Edit.] 



LXX. On the Action of Electricity on Albumen, By 

 GoLDiNG Bird, Esq..^ F.L,S., F.G.S., Lecturer on Experi- 

 mental Philosophy at Guy's Hospital,^ 



To Richard Phillips, Esq., F.R.S., S^c, 

 Dear Sir, 

 ¥ FEEL exceedingly indebted to you for pointing out to 

 -* me the observations of M. Lassaigne on the coagulation of 

 albumen by electric currents, in the Annates de Chimie. From 

 this paper it appears that M. Lassaigne applied a similar ex- 

 planation to the coagulating influence exerted by electric cur- 

 rents on free albumen to that which I ventured to propose 

 in a late number of your Magazine*. The original paper in 

 the Annates de Chimie is very brief, and the author's hypothesis 

 is expressed in the following words : 



"(L'albumine) la plus pure qu'on puisse se procurer pro- 

 vient de I'oeuf : encore celle-ci contient-elle une petite quantite 

 de chlorure de sodium. II doit necessairement arriver, lors- 

 qu'on soumet une pareille solution a Taction de la pile, que la 

 petite quantite de sel qu'elle renferme se decompose de ma- 

 niere que Pacide se porte vers le pole positif, tandis que sa 



base est attiree vers le pole negatif. : done Talbumine 



mise en contact avec le pole positif, oii vient se rendre Tacide, 

 doit se combiner avec celui-ci et se pr^cipiter." {Annates de 

 Chimie et de Physique, tome xx. p. 98.) 



M. Lassaigne mentions the coagulation of albumen at the 

 positive electrode only, and makes no reference to those cases 

 in which it takes place at the negative electrode, as in Mr. 

 Brande's experiments referred to in my last communication. 

 * See vol. ix. p. 109, and p. 84 of the present volume. — Edit. ' 



