EULOGY ON ALEXANDER VOLTA. 129 



muscle played but a passive part, and was to be simply regarded as a 

 conductor by means of which the discharge "was effected. Electricity, 

 Yolta had the independence to conjecture, was the inevitable result of 

 the contact of the tirn metals between which the muscle "was i')laced. 

 I say the two metals, and not the two plates, since, according to Volta, 

 with no difference in the nature of the two metals in contact, Jio elec- 

 triciil development could take place. 



The physicists of all Europe, and Volta himself, adopted at the begin, 

 ning of galvanism the views of the discoverer. Tbey were unanimous in 

 regarding the spasmodic convulsions of the dead animals as one of the 

 greatest discoveries of modern times. But, however little one may know 

 of the human heart, it is not difficult to divine that a theory, designed 

 to connect these curious phenomena with the ordinary laws of electric- 

 ity, would not be admitted by Galvani and his followers without extreme 

 reluctance. In fact, the Bolognese school defended ever}' foot of the im- 

 mense ground attacked, which had been abandoned without opposition, 

 by the supporters of animal electricity. 



Among the numerous facts presented by this celebrated school to the 

 physicist of Como was one which, by its singularity, for a moment, held 

 all minds in suspense. I allude to the convulsions that Galvani himself 

 created by bringing the muscles of the frog in contact with two plates, not 

 dissimilar as Volta supposed necessary, but both from one and the same 

 slab of metal. This effect, although not continuous, pi esented apparently 

 an insurmountable objection to the new theory. 



Volta replied that the plates used by his adversaries might be identi- 

 cal in name-and chemical nature, and yet differ in other respects, so as 

 to possess entirely distinct properties. In his hands, in fact, inactive 

 couples, composed of two contiguous parts of the same metallic plate, 

 acquired a certain power from the moment the temperature, the degree 

 of annealing, or the polish of only one of the elements was changed. 



Thus, this contest did not shake the theory of the celebrated profes- 

 sor. It only proved that the word (lisshnilar^ applied to superposed me- 

 tallic bodies, had been understood in altogether too restricted a sense. 



Volta had to endure a last and very formidable assault. This time 

 his very friends thought him vanquished forevermore. Doctor Valli, 

 his antagonist, produced contortions by the simple contact of tw^o por- 

 tions of the frog, without the intervention of the metallic armatures, 

 which, in all similar experiments, had been, according to our fellow- 

 member, the principal generator of electricity. 



It was evident from more than one passage in Volta's letters how 

 deeply he was wounded by the tone of assurance with which (T give his 

 own word.s) the gidvanists, old and younfi, boasted of having reduced 

 liim to silence. This silence, however, was not of long duration. An 

 attentive examination of Valli's experiments soon proved to Volta that 

 to insure their success this double condition was necessary: as much 

 heterogeneity as possible between the parts of the animal brought in 

 «. Mis. 115 <0 



