520 ELECTRICITY. 



declared also that he should not be induced to take 

 another shock for the whole kingdom of France. Mr 

 Allemand reports, that the shock deprived him of breath 

 for some minutes, and afterwards produced so acute a 

 pain along his right arm, that he was apprehensive it 

 might be attended with serious consequences. Mr 

 Winkler informs us, that it threw his whole body into 

 convulsions, and excited such a ferment in his blood, as 

 would have thrown him into a fever, but for the timely 

 employment of febrifuge remedies. He states, that at 

 another time it produced copious bleeding at the nose ; 

 the same effect was produced also upon his lady, who was 

 almost, rendered incapable of walking. These strange ac- 

 counts naturally excited the attention and wonder of all 

 classes of people; the learned and the vulgar were equal- 

 ly desirous of experiencing so singular a sensation, and 

 great numbers of half-taught electricians wandered 

 through every part of Europe, to gratify this universal cu- 

 riosity.' 



The shock is, however, perfectly harmless, at least 

 when obtained from any common sized Leyden jar. 

 The unpleasant feeling passes off in a "moment, and 

 though in the use of an electric machine, the performer 

 is continually liable to allow the charge to pass through 

 his system unintentionally, and indeed accidents of 

 this kind very often happen yet we are not aware that 

 any serious effects have in any case resulted. The safe- 

 ty is, however, owing entirely to the smallness of the 

 rmtity of electricity which can be accumulated with 

 common apparatus. 



The electric fluid when collected in sufficient quanti- 

 ties, and caused to pass through the animal frame, de- 

 stroys life at once. Ft is common to ?ho\v this by killing 

 small animals, with Leyden jars or a battery. A square 

 foot of coated surface will take the life of an animal of 

 the size of a rat or a squirrel. With large batteries the 

 same effect may be produced upon larger animals. The 

 experiments are, however, not very pleasant to be per- 

 formed, and the results may perhaps as well be taken 

 upon trust. 



The fluid seems to act most directly upon the nervou* 



