Pait^hte Etenrical Machint.—Metearok^y. 5 1. 1 



one-fourth of an inch, were direfled from the flioulder to the hand, and from the knee to 

 the foot. After being thus ekarified, the patient felt fome pain in the knee, where the 

 iargeft Ihocks entered, and upon trial could raife the leg a little from the ground ; but the 

 hand and arm were motionlefs. On the morning of the 78th, the patient, after a good 

 fleep, could raife the leg as before; and, to my great fatisfaflion, fuch an alteration had 

 taken place, that by a motion proceeding apparently from the flioulder, the arm was carried 

 back and forward, as if fufpended by a pin ; but the hand appeared no more than a dead 

 weight. Partial (hocks of one-fourth of an inch were adminiftered as on the preceding 

 evening, after which a pain fimilar to what had been before felt in the knee was now felt 

 in the flioulder ; the knee became fomewhat ftronger, and the arm more ailive in its mo- 

 tion, but the hand remained apparently dead. In ths evening of the zSth, the patient was. 

 in bed, and eleiElrified as before, after which the thumb and firft finger could be moved in 

 a fmall degree. This rapid advi^nce on the firft application of eleftricity, could not, I think, 

 be attributed to the efFeds of medical afliftance, which had been omitted to be ufed a few 

 days before, e.\cept that a feton remained (which ftill remains) ; nor yet to what is called 

 the " vis medicatrix nature," for this ufually operates flowly. Shocks have continued to 

 be ufed fometimes from one extremity to the other, in general twice a day, ever fince, to 

 the prefent time, January 13, 1798, whilft the ftriking diftance has been gradually enlarged 

 to nearly 4-ioths of an iiK:h, and the increafe of ftrength and aftivity has been hitJierto re- 

 gular. The patient at this time can walk into the ftreet, or up and down ftairs, without 

 the affiftance of a ftick, and can handle any thing of final! weight in his weaker hand: in 

 ftiort, he is happily become capable of fuperintending the affairs of his family, and, I truft 

 has reafon to hope for ftill greater ftrength by perfevering in the means liitherto ufed. 

 Other inftances could be adduced in which this machine has been ufed with as good eflefl: 

 as a larger one in difeafes of the human body ; but a particular detail would enlarge the 

 bounds of this article, which perhaps will be deemed already fufficicntly long. 

 Lincclii, 'January 13, 1798. 



V. 



A Alemoir concerning it remarkaBlc Phenomenon in Meteorology. Rend to the Soeiety of Mi, 

 furnli/ls of Geneva. By AI. De Saussure^ OElober 1797 *, 



I\ S foon as 1 had rendered my hygrometer fufficiently pcrfecl to compare one inftru- 

 nient wi:h another, and at the fame time fo delicate as to immediately fiievv tlie changes 

 m the atmofphere, 1 was in hope th.it I might avail niy.'"elf of it to foretell the changes of 

 the weather. 1 expefled that the hygrometer would move tov/ards dry on the approaciiipg 

 fine weather, or towards moif when wet weather was at hand ; and it is true tiiat, in ge. 

 neral, the north- ea(t wind, which ufuidly with us accompanies fine vve;uher, does caufe it 

 to move towards dry ; and, on the other hand, that it indicates humidity during the feafons 

 of rain. But I have fince obfcrvcd a very remarkable e>xcptioaj namely, th.u the times 

 of greateft drynefs are generally tjie precurfors of rain. 



• This paper wa« communxaied to t le Editi.r of T,a Dccnilc Philtifophiquc, &r by \-c\\% D I'portis, Rcfi-. 

 <ii.Bl of the Kruncli R»j)ul)lic at Geneva. I hivt tranflatotl it froin this lull woik. No. 4. N. 



