L ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONSo I09 



ous motion diminifhed by degrees, and in a quar- 

 ter of an hour entirely ceafed. Thofe not fo near 

 as two lines furvived longer j the aftivity and 

 livelinefs of the mod diftant evinced they were not 

 effected by the eleftric fluid. If, inflead of en- 

 crealing the breadth of the liquid more than tv/o 

 lines, it was produced from the centre of the 

 fpot, fo as to reach the circumference, which 

 made full five inches in length, the (hock e- 

 qually killed the animalcula throughout the 

 whole. Such were my experiments with Frankf 

 lin*s battery. 



Let us now fpeak of a fimple fpark drawn 

 from the conductor. Here I ufed the fame pot 

 of pitch which was put on the conduftor. The 

 fpark drawn through the central hole feemed 

 more brilliant and fonorous. The central hole a- 

 lone was filled with fluid, or a little channel was 

 added of various dimenfions on the fpot. Every 

 time the fpark was drawn through the hole, all 

 the animalcula perifhed, but three or four were 

 required to kili them in the little channel. 



Many fubftances are better conductors of the 

 eledtric fluid than water ; and where the fhock 

 was weak, I was unable to dired it through the 

 channel, efpecially if very long and narrow. 

 But the fluid did penetrate and ad: upon it, as ap- 

 peared from the crackling when the conducting 

 rod was appHed j and this trifling eleCtricity was 



fufficient 



