Galvanlfni. J()l 



ideas, which might eafily miflead, — His partner in bufinefs 

 Mr. Allan, is a worthy "meniber, and himfeU a meritorious 

 contributor to the labours of the Linnoean Society. 



GALVANISM. Piiris, Oa. 14. 



C. Aldini, a native of Italy, and nephew of the celebrated 

 Galvani, to whom we are indebted for the difcovery of that 

 elertricity called the Galvanic, repeated, a few days ago, in. 

 prefence of the commiffioners of the National Inftitute, and 

 yefterdav at the Oratoire, in prefence of the Galvanic Societv, 

 the principal experiments; in confequence of which he al- 

 ferts, with juitice, that the ideas of his uncle refpe6ling ani- 

 mal eleftricity ought not to be entirely reje^led^ to adopt ex- 

 clufively thnfe of Volta refpeAing metallic eleftricity. It 

 refults, indeed, from the experiments of C. Aldini, that there 

 is an animal pile and an animal circle, as there is a metallic 

 pile and metallic circle. 



The experiments of which we were witneHcs, and which 

 prove his opinion in a rigorous manner, are as follow : 



ift, The fciatic nerves of a frog being laid bare, as is ufn- 

 ally done, for fubjetling them to the ailion of the arming 

 and metallic circle, he contented himfelf with bringing to- 

 gether and putting in conlatl t})e mufcular parts of the 

 thighs and paws of the frog with the uncovered nerves, and 

 contra6lions uf the animal took place as in the ufual Galvanic 

 experiment. 



2d, tie took the frog by the paws, holding it with one 

 hand by the mufcular parts, makine the nerves hang down : 

 he touched with a finger of tiie other hand the nerves thus 

 fufpended ; and the contractions took place as by llie metallic 

 circle and Galvanic apparatus. 



3d, Fur the third cxperiuient, he made his affiftant hold 

 the frog by the pa-.vs or by the nuilciilar parts; applied his 

 finger to the nerves, without giving his hand to the afliliant; 

 and tlie contractions did not take [;lace. irle then gave his 

 hand to the allillant; and, having applied a finger of the 

 other hand to the nerves, the coutraitions took place as in 

 the other experiments. Theie experiments were repeated oa 

 fevcral frogs. 



In the \:\{\ place, feveral experiments were made on the 

 head of a large doij; feparaled from the trunk, which had no 

 relation either to the animal circle or pile ; but afterwards 

 they took one of llie above frogs, and, by putting a finger 

 into the fpiiial cnarrow f»f the dog, prefenting with the other 

 band the nerves uf the fiog to one of the mulclci of the trunk 

 7 of 



