346 0)t the Anion of Galvafiifm, and the 



fons, and, as is alwavs the cafe with new difcoverics, their 

 ufes are exajigerated by lome, and defpiied by others. This 

 diverfity of opinion induced our aflociate Charles BofTe to 

 propofe to me two queftions, which I endeavoured to folve 

 in the next letter I wrote to him about the end of September. 

 I could eafily increafc the number of cures obtained by means 

 of Galvanifm and ele»5lricity, as well as of the niisfortunesjDc- 

 cafioned by the aiilion of ihefe fluids and of the inRanccs 

 where I obferved a conftant relation between the moral part; 

 that is to fay, the flrenglh of mind, the courage of the victims 

 tf)jurtice, and the efteiis of the Galvanic fluid on their bodies: 

 but thefe obfervations belong to the general report of the ex- 

 perimeiits which we made fnue the 14th of Auguft. I {lialT 

 therefore only prelent to you the letter which I wrote at that 

 period. 



" You aflced me in one of our late academic filtings, why, 

 after fo manv experimenls, made by the firft phiiofophers of 

 the laft century, on the eleftric fluid, fuch a variety of opi- 

 nions is entertained in regard to its medical aftion in tlie 

 human body; and whether Galvanifm feems already to pro- 

 mife refults more ufcful to the healing art. I fliall here give 

 vou my opinion on thefe queflions, or rather fubmit to vou 

 the induclions which different experiments made by myfelt, 

 or at which I afl[tll:ed, gave me reafon to deduce with more 

 certainty than I durft venture to hope when I began to pay 

 a ferlous attention to this objeft. 



*< I coufider Galvanifm as a modification of eleftrlcity — a 

 modification which renders this fluid more active; as the 

 fmall flame feparated by the blow-pipe is far more ardent 

 than the lara;e one from which it is taken. I have read to 

 the clafs feveral expcriiricnts which feem to fupport this com- 

 parifon between cleftricity and Galvanifm. Animals which 

 were only flimned bv the ftrongeR fparks from a magic pic- 

 ture, were killed in lefs than three minutes by a very weak 

 dcree of Galvanihn. 



> "The fluid of a pile compofed of 25 plates of filver and zinc 

 t)f the fize of a crown-piece, intermixed with pieces of pafle- 

 board nioiftened in water faturated with muriate of ammonia, 

 oxidates the metils in decompofing the water, while it is 

 fcarcelv fenfible in the fingers, and gives only fmall fparks. 

 The brilliant eleftric fparks which excite in our bodies a itrong 

 fenfalion of pricking, neither oxidate the metals nor deconi- 

 pofe the water if they do not communicate a flmck. Having 

 made the Galvanic current to pafs through the body of a 

 frog, its fluids were dccompofed, and I law it fwell up fo 

 much that It could no longer plunge into the water though 



poflllTcJ 



