1815.} Remarks on the Phenomena of Galvanism. 431 



Article VII. 



Remarks en the Phenomena of Galvanism. 



In the present fluctuating state of galvanic theories, when such 

 a var'ety of opinions are offered for our consideration ; it jnay fairly 

 be concluded that every hypothesis will be noticed in proportion to 

 its plausibility. I shall therefore endeavour to place the subject in a 

 diflerent point of view from any yet published ; after having made a 

 few remarks on several opinions that have been brought forward to 

 account for the various galvanic phenomena. 



VVIieii Volta ottered his simple, yet ingenious, electrical theory, 

 to illustrate the effects of the galvanic pile, or battery, it appeared 

 tolfrably satisfactory : but as galvanic facts became more numerous, 

 and exhibited such a novelty of character and principles, the views 

 of this emineiit philosopher were too circumscribed to embrace the 

 great number of results that were brought to light by the rnpid 

 advance of this brancli of philosophy. Although the opinions of 

 Volta were too circumscrilied to keep pace with the discoveries in 

 galvanism, still they were too ingenious to remain unnoticed, and 

 therefore have been remodelled by several philosophers in this 

 country, as well as in other parts of Europe. In these alterations 

 the ideas of Volta have been generally retained, as far as respects the 

 electrical character of the galvanic fluid j but some writers have 

 diifered from him, by supposing that the galvanic fluid is brought 

 into action by the chemical agency of the acid, or saline solution, 

 used in the pile or battery, and not merely by the contact of dissi- 

 milar metals, as Volta had supposed ; consequently they have been 

 obliged to ascribe different laws to this fluid from those which were 

 maintained by that philosopher. 



In pursuing the subject of galvanism, it Is extremely difficult to 

 follow the many peculiar laws of action that this electrical view of 

 the science enjoins, and still more difficult to reconcile all the gal- 

 vanic results to those principles. 



To any one well acquainted with the laws of electricity, it must 

 appear very improbable that the negative and positive, or resinous 

 and vitreous, state of the opposite wires of a battery, on which the 

 uiost interesting phenomena are said to depend, can be obtained 

 when they are placed in a solution that is a conducting medium : 

 and that these phenomena, which arc supposed to depend on the 

 contrary electrical states of the wires, should become more powerful 

 as the conducting power of this medium is increased; is a result 

 that cannot be reconciled to any well known electrical principle. 

 Ijy considering the galvanic phenomena agreeably to the popular 

 thcoricb.of electricity, we must infer that many results depend oti 

 laws the very reverse of simplicity ; for according to Dr. Franklin's 

 bypothciii., we must suppose when the battery is in action that there 



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