^8 Galvanic Society, Paris. 



are very extenfive : he fupports them by very curious obferva- 

 tions on the refpiration of that animal ; the (trufture of the 

 organs which ferve for that purpofe ; the properties he afcribes. 

 to the fkin of thefe animals ; the caufes which make them 

 move during the time of their perfeft life, and thofe which 

 preferve them during their flate of torpor. 



We invite the authors to give more extent to thofe parts 

 of their labour on which they have beflowed the leaft care: 

 the talents they have difplaved in their memoirs do not permit 

 us to doubt that they will fully accomplifli their objeft. 



The clafs again propofes the fame fubjeft. The prize will 

 be doubled, and will conlift of two kilogrammes of gold (about 

 280I. fterling). The memoirs niuft be tranfmitted to the 

 fecretary of the Inftitute before the 15th of Mellidor, year 13. 

 The determination of the clafs will be publilhed in the public 

 fitting of Vendemiaire, year 13. 



GALVANIC SOCIETV, PARIS. 



The fitting of the Galvanic Society at the Oratoire, on the 

 14th of Oftober, was remarkable both on account of the 

 prefence of the learned men and diftinguifhed philofopbers 

 who compofe it, and of the nature of the experiments made 

 on cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals. 



C. Aldini conducted thefe experiments with a great deal 

 of method. The principal ones were as follow : 



ift. Several frogs recently fkinned exhibited in fucceffion 

 the phaenomenon of a very fenfible contraftion without the 

 interpofition of any metallic fubftance, and by the mere con- 

 tact of the nerves of each with the mufcles.. 



2d. The animal arc was feveral times obtained, and ren- 

 dered fenfible by the fame difpofitions as in the preceding 

 experiment. 



3d. The phaenomenon of fimultaneous mufcular con- 

 traclion, in three frogs recently prepared, and placed at the 

 fide of each other in the fame dire£lion, was produced at firft 

 by the aid of filver alone. But C. Aldini, being defirous to 

 prove that the fluid which a6ted on thefe animals was not 

 metallic eleftricity, changed the pofition of the intermediate 

 frog by placing the fuperior extremitv of the trunk of the 

 latter parallel to the inferior extremities of the other two. 

 A contraftiou being then obfcrved in the firft and laft with- 

 out producing any cHecl on that placed in the middle, C. Al- 

 dini concluded, that, as the fluid did not purfue the fl)ortefl: 

 wav of communication, it could not be the cle6lric fluid of 

 metals, one of the general laws of which does not allow it to 

 deviate from the fliorteit route. 



6 In 



