34- Animals killed fry Eleflricity. [Book IV, 



chine. Let a perfon infulated, and communicating 

 with a charged conductor, hold in his hand a quantity 

 of rectified fpirit in a metal fpoon. If the fpirit has 

 been a Iktle warmed over a candle previoufly, the ex- 

 periment will be more certain to fucceed. Let ano- 

 ther perfon then, not infulated, but communicating 

 with the floor, prcfent his finger to the fpirit, a fpark 

 wi'l immediately pafs between the fpoon and the fin- 

 ger, and the fpirit will be inflamed. This phenomena 

 might pafs for an exertion of magic in an ignorant 

 country, or an ignorant age. 



By a fmart mock- of electricity from a charged phial, 

 pr a battery, fmall animals may be killed i but I have 

 not underftood that human art has yet been able to 

 conftruct a battery large enough to kill an animal 

 above the fize of a fheep or a dog. The immediate 

 or proximate caufe of the death of animals by electri- 

 city, or by lightning, which is natural electricity, has 

 not yet been afcertained. Ic was once fuppofed that 

 the living principle was extinguifhed by the burfting 

 of fome blood vcflel, from the violence of the fhock ; 

 but a dog, which was killed by lightning, was carefully 

 difiected, and none of the velTels found in the lead in- 

 jured. Beccaria recovered fome perfons apparently 

 ftruck dead by lightning; and when queftioned with 

 refpect to the pain or fuffering which they endured, 

 they only complained of an unufual numbnefs or weari- 

 nefs in their limbs. The flefh of animals killed by 

 electricity is rendered extremely tender, and is recom- 

 mended by Dr. Franklin as an article of luxury. It 

 will alfo putrify in a much fhorter time than the flefh 

 of thofe which are killed in any ordinary way. 



The luminous effects of electricity are not precifely 

 the fime in vacuo as in the open air; and indeed a 



very 



