52 Effects of Electricity on Vegetalle 



needle through their heads, and, placing them all in the 

 fame temperature, covered them with glafs receivers in or- 

 der to preferve them from infects. Having obferved the 

 gradual progrefs of corruption in both, he plainly perceived 

 that it took place much fooner, and advanced more rapidly 

 in thofe killed by electric fhocks than in thofe deprived of life 

 by the needle. In thofe alfo to which a ftronger fhock had 

 been given, the degree of corruption was far ftronger than 

 in the others; and the caufe in all probability was, that 

 in this cafe the veffels containing the animal fluids were 

 fuddenly deftroyed, by which means thefe fluids haddiffufed 

 themfelves through the particles of the body, and might 

 thus accelerate putridity. 



It clearly follows from thefe experiments, that electricity 

 accelerates corruption, and that the putrefaction of flefli 

 after a ftorm muft be afcribed folely to the more abundant 

 accumulation of the electric matter at that time. M. 

 Achard faw that this was the cafe in regard to feveral per- 

 fons killed by lightning. The body of a farmer, who loft 

 his life in this manner on the 2d of July, between five and 

 fix o'clock in the evening, emitted next morning a very per- 

 ceptible fetid fmell, which in the evening was totally infup- 

 portable. 



M. Achard took a. handful of rye, which had been 

 brought to a ftate of fermentation in order to be diftilled, 

 and divided it into two portions, one of which he electrified. 

 Five hours after being electrified, the vinous fermentation 

 was over in the firft portion; but this was not the cafe in 

 regard to that which had not been electrified, till after eight 

 hours. M. Achard repeated this experiment in fuch a 

 manner that he fent a number of ftrong fparks through a 

 portion of rye, inftead of giving it an electric bath, and al- 

 ways found, except in one cafe, that fermentation was- 

 accelerated by the electricity. The cafe in which a contrary 

 effect was produced, may have been occafioned by fome cir- 

 oumftance which efcaped M. Achard's attention. 



On 



