Kinvanian Society of Dullin. S81 



amiuallv to the author of the best dissertation on an experi- 

 mental subject proposed by the Society; for which all the mem- 

 bers, honorary, extraordinary, and ordinary, shall alone be in- 

 vited as candidates. 



The dissertations are to be written in English, French, or 

 Latin, and to be delivered to the Secretary on or before the 1st of 

 December of the succeeding year to that in whicli the subjects 

 are proposed ; — and the adjudication of the prize shall take 

 place in the last week of February following. 



To each dissertation shall be prefixed a motto ; and this 

 mott<i is to be written on the outside of a sealed packet con- 

 taining the name and address of the author. No dissertation 

 will be received with the author's name affixed ; and all disser- 

 tations, except the successful one, will be returned, if desired, 

 ■with the sealed packet unopened. 



KIRVVANIAN SOCIETY OF BUBLIN. 



Wednesday, April 19. Part of a paper " On the Inadetjuacy 

 of Galvanic Hypotheses," containing a discussion of the question 

 " Whether the active principle in Galvanic phaanoinena be elec- 

 tricity," was read, by M. Donovan, Esq. Secretary. 



The first subject of investigation was the muscular contractions 

 produced in dead animals by the application of heterogeneous 

 metals, a phcsnomenon which has been attributed to the resto- 

 ration of the electric equilibrium between the metals. Tliat the 

 restoration of the equilibrium, is the cause, was questioned on ac- 

 count of experiments which tended to prove, that when means 

 were used for restoring the equilibrium, and when this end must 

 have been attained had there ever been a disturbance, contrac- 

 tions were excited by these metals as strongly as ever. A num- 

 ber of experiments were then adduced to prove that muscular 

 contractions are never produced unless chemical action be going 

 forward in some part of the apparatus; and a number of facts 

 which seemed to oppose this view were shown to be of no force, 

 on account of circuinstancss not hitherto attended to. These 

 views were supported by numerous experiments oii common, and 

 what has been called Galvanic electricity, all of which appeared 

 to harmonize with each other. It was even stated that commoii 

 electricity does not affect dead animals, although parsing through 

 them in exceedingly large quantities, unless circumstances bt; 

 ])resent whicli render the operation of a chemical change prol)a- 

 blc : and this opinion was sr.])ported by trials upon various dead 

 animals. Considerations were then stated, which were con- 

 ceived to prove, that the causa of the spnsati'in called the Gal- 

 vanic .'rhock cannot depeni on electricity. Voltaic series were 



ucstiibed 



