424 



LIVING TORPEDOS IN BERLIN. 



as it ought to do, while the arrangement of the upper plate, on 

 account of its extent, its double curvature and slight arching is 

 very difficult. Besides which it bends in such a way that it is not 

 easy to connect its warped undulating edge with that of the lower 

 plate. Finally as it is not a question of experimenting as long as 

 possible on a living subject (as was the case with my Malapte- 

 rurus), an apparatus adapted only to a particular animal is not of 

 great service. I therefore contented myself with the less rational 

 but much simpler arrangement diagrammatically represented in 

 Fig. 13, which was in point of fact sufficiently satisfactory. A glass 



vessel 30 cm. wide and 10 cm. deep was used instead of the experi- 

 mental tub. On the bottom of it rested a circular zinc plate of 

 about the same width as the body, forming a ventral shield vv, a 

 portion of which vv' was bent and hung hook-like over the side of 

 the vessel. One end of the experimental circuit was brought into 

 contact with this hook. The arrangement shown assumes that a 

 shock will be imparted to the human body ; accordingly there are 

 two handles in the experimental circuit, to one of which Hv, the 

 wire v'H is conducted. A circular piece of flannel ff was laid on 



