56 HISTORY OF GALVANISM. 



not. however, destroy the chemical action of the 

 pile, which goes on in the same manner as be 

 fore the communication was formed. He supposes 

 that the decomposition of water is effected in con 

 sequence of the positive end disengaging oxygen, 

 and the negative end hydrogen, and that the two 

 ends have also a pendency to dispose metals to 

 unite with oxygen and hydrogen respectively. 

 He says, if the positive end be armed with gold 

 leaf, and the negative with charcoal, and these 

 substances be then brought into contact, the gold 

 will be burned ; but if the position of the sub- 

 stances be reversed, the charcoal will be burned. 

 When the extremities of a pile do not communi- 

 cate, it is said that the action exercised between 

 the different plates is very unequal ; the zinc, 

 which is nearest the positive end, is the most oxi- 

 Different dated. It is also asserted, that if a pile be broken 

 different" into separate parts, by a number of wires in- 

 partsofthe gerte( i between every fifth pair of plates, those 

 wires nearest the positive end will be the most 

 oxidated; while, on the contrary, those wires 

 near the negative end will be less oxidated than 

 if they had been simply plunged in water. Hence 

 he infers, that at the negative end an action has 

 taken place, or a state has been induced, the re- 

 verse of oxidation. He goes so far as to say, that 

 different sensations are excited by the two ends of 

 the pile, the one expanding, and the other con- 

 tracting, the muscular fibre ; the positive end 



