18 HISTORY OF GALVANISM. 



examining all the opinions and controversies that 

 existed on the subject, contained an account of a 

 great variety of original experiments. The com- 

 mittee was composed of some of the most cele- 

 brated chemists and natural philosophers of 

 France; Morveau, Fourcroy, Vauquelin, Halle. 

 Coulomb, Sabbatier, Pelletan, and Charles. They 

 arrange the materials of their report under six 

 heads: 1st, They examine the different circum- 

 stances which influence the nature of what they 

 call the animal arc, by which they mean, that 

 part of the galvanic circle which consists of the 

 parts of the animal. They conceive that the 

 animal arc may consist of nerve only; they 

 found that cutting a nerve across did not pre- 

 vent the passage of the influence, provided the 

 cut ends were laid close together, and also that 

 it was transmitted through different parts of the 

 same animal, or even through parts of different 

 animals, provided they were in perfect contact. 

 They observe, that when a nerve is made part of 

 the circle, those muscles are thrown into contrac- 

 tions to which the extremities of the nerve are 

 distributed, not those which are contiguous to the 

 trunk of the nerve. In the %d place, they examine 

 the nature and disposition of what is called the 

 excitatory arc, or the metallic part of the circle. 

 3d, They inquire into the circumstances extrinsic 

 to the composition of both parts of the galvanic 

 circle, but which in any way affect its action, or 

 influence its effects. The 4th head consists of 



