306 



E L E C T R I C I T V. 



Effects on 

 the animal 



uuKuuns. 



On Oie 

 pulse. 



On insensi 

 ble perspi- 

 ration. 



of natural philosophy to Ute States-general of Lanpue- 

 doc. In this work, electricity seen- in 1., r 

 a power which has a most c\u n>ive inthience in tin- 

 cure of disease ; and there is scarcely a class of maladies 

 in which the Abbe Bertholon has not represented it as 

 lining proved successful. He h.> c\en gone so far as 

 to maintain, that the electricity of the atmosphere has 

 a principal share in the nunilier of deaths, and particu- 

 larly Midden deaths, and that it has a decided influence 

 on generation, conception, and parturition. * 



Mr Carpue. in hi Introduction to Electricity and Ctil- 

 m, has treated this subject with more caution. He 

 has collected a number of cases in which electricity has 

 been employed, and he has given the cases in which it 

 was unsuccessful, as well as those in which it succeed- 

 ed. Mr Singer has likewise enumerated several cases, 

 in which the application of electricity has been beneli- 

 ei.il : but from a careful examination of these cases, we 

 should be disposed merely to conclude, that in rigidi- 

 ty, sprains, relaxations, indolent tumors, and chronic 

 rheumatisms, the patient may reasonably expect, that he 

 w ill either be relieved or cured by the agency of elec- 

 tricity. 



Various facts have been published respecting the ef- 

 fect of electrical shocks upon animals in a state of 

 health. Mr Morgan informs us, that if the diaphragm 

 be brought into the circuit of a coated surface of two 

 square feet, fully charged, the lungs will make a sud- 

 den effort, which is followed by a loud shout ; but that 

 if the charge is small, it always produces a violent 

 fit of laughter, even upon persons of grave and solemn 

 habits. The effect of a strong charge on the diaphragm 

 is often followed by involuntary sighs and tears, and 

 sometimes by a fainting fit When a shock is sent 

 through the spine of a person standing, he will often 

 drop on his knees, or fall prostrate on the ground. 



The effect of electricity in quickening the pulse was 

 long ago maintained by M. de Bozes ; and M. Nollet 

 concluded from experiment, that it increased the sen- 

 sible perspiration both of men and animals. In order 

 to ascertain these points Dr Van Marum made the 

 following experiments. In determining the effects of 

 electricity on the pulse, he selected eleven persons, 

 and repeated the experiments four times on each, both 

 with positive and negative electricity. In order to 

 prevent any effect being produced by the imagination, 

 the persons were placed in a different room, so that 

 they did not know when the machine was in motion, 

 or when it was at rest. The result was, that in some 

 single cases a few beats more were observed, but, on 

 the whole, there was no increase of any importance. 

 In general, however, the pulse was very irregular, both 

 when themachinewas in motion, and when it was at rest 

 For the purpose of examining the insensible perspiration 

 of persons electrified, Van Marum employed a very 

 sensible balance, one of whose scales was insulated by a 

 .silk cord. He placed a boy eight years old upon this 

 scale, and having connected him with the conductor, he 

 brought the balance into equilibrium. He then found 

 that the boy lost 280 grains in half an hour before he 

 was electrified, and 295 grains when he was electrified ; 

 that on another occasion he lost 330 grains before he 

 was electrified, and 310 when he was electrified. A 

 girl seven years old lost 180 before she was electrified, 



and Hi.i wh-n she was electrified. A boy ci^ht and a 

 half years old lust +30 grains when i,; 



!. A boy niin .1 lost 17O 



when unclectrified, and 2 U) whei i. As thi* 



boy v 'lict during th< 



was attributed to electricity. The < ' was 



therefore repeated, .-md it was found that 1 

 grains when unclcctrified, and .".<H>, .'J30, '270, 550, and 

 420 when electrified ; hence it follows, that in i: 

 the experiments there was a decrease rather than an in- 

 crease of insensible perspiration. 



According toMK'avcndish.the sensible shock depends 

 more on the quantity of electricity than on its force; a 

 double force, with half the quantity, always producing 

 a shock rather less powerful. Vo: .; only 



a little more electricity is required to produce an equal 

 shock from a larger curface. He found that a surface 

 16 times as large required an elevation of the electro- 

 meter to one.-tcnth of the number of degrees. Accord- 

 ing to Dr Kobison, a small charge from a large surface 

 gives a less unpleasant sJiock than a large charge of a 

 small one, and may therefore be better fitted for medi- 

 cal purposes. He found likewise that the spark taken 

 from a long wire is sliarpcr than when it is taken from 

 a large body. 



!n order to ascertain the cause of death in tho-e 

 struck with lightning, Dr Van Marum made a number 

 of experiments on eels, which are well known to re- 

 tain signs of irritability even when they are cut into 

 three, four, or six parts, and when deprived of their 

 head. The eels which he employed were a foot and a 

 half long, and when the shock was sent through their 

 whole body, they were instantly killed, and never after- 

 wards moved ; they were then skinned, pinched, and 

 pricked, and salts and sparks were applied in vain to 

 discover if any irritability remained. When the charge 

 was sent through individual parts, such as the head, 

 these only lost their irritability, while the rest retained 

 it, and when the head was not affected with the shock, 

 the remaining parts only were injured. The same re- 

 sults were obtained from eels three and a half feet long. 

 When the shock was sent through the upper and fore 

 part of the head of large eels, the under jaw, as well 

 as the muscles of the neck and belly, and even the low- 

 er part of the body, preserved their irritability, while it 

 was totally destroyed in the parts through which the 

 charge was transmitted. The same results were ob- 

 tained when the shocks of smaller batteries were sent 

 through warm-blooded animals, such as rabbits. I lence, 

 as the circulation of the blood can no longer take place 

 when such a derangement is produced, this circum- 

 stance is unquestionably the cause of the sudden death 

 of those who are struck by lightning. If the large ar- 

 teries are not affected by the shock, the animal may 

 still recover, provided the cerebellum and spinal mar- 

 row are not injured. 



Various experiments have been made on the effects 

 of electricity upon different animals ; but, as the results 

 are in no respects interesting, we shall content our- 

 selves with a reference to the works in which they will 

 be found. 



The effects of electricity on the corruption of dead 

 animals, has been examined by M. Achard of Berlin. 

 Having divided a piece of raw beef into three parts, he 



ptivc 

 icily. 



Cause ut 

 death pro- 

 duced by 

 electricity. 



Effects of 

 electricity 

 on deai I ani- 

 mal bodies 



" D'aprcs un certain noniHhe d' observations que j'ai fait il paroit qu'on peut conclurc que I'clectricili dc 1'atmosphere a unc influence 

 mirqufc sur la generation, la conception, et la naissanee des homines. Lea tables dcs naissancea pcuvent en offrir del preuvcs comme 

 cclle dei inortumres nous ont momr<5 la rapport (jus le tluidc elcctriquc a avoc le noiubrc Ucs molts et leg marts subites." Bertholun De 

 fEleclricHi du evrjis humain, vol. u. p. 435. 



