90 NATURALTSTS CABINET. 



Painful sensations arising from 



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of ingenious arguments; and especially observes, 

 that the torpedo conveys its numbness to the 

 hand through a hard solid body, but does not do 

 it through the air. 



From Rheaumur's experiments, it is evident 

 that the torpedo numbs the hand of him that 

 touches it, by an effort. From what Kempfer 

 relates, as well as by all other accounts, the shock 

 received most resembles the stroke of an elec- 

 trical machine; sudden, tinkling and painful: 

 the shocks are entirely similar, the duration of 

 the pain is the same : yet still it exceeds all hu- 

 man knowledge how the electric matter is origi- 

 nally procured, how the animal contrives to re- 

 new the charge, or how it is prevented from eva- 

 porating it on contiguous subjects. 



" The instant," says Kempfer, 4f I touched it 

 with my hand, I felt a terrible numbness in my 

 arm, and as far up as my shoulder. Even if one 

 tread upon it with the shoe on, it afiects not 

 only the leg, but the whole thigh upwards. 

 Those who touch it with their foot are seized 

 with a stronger palpitation than even those who 

 touch it with the hand. This numbness bears 

 no resemblance to that which we feel when a 

 nerve is a long time pressed, and the foot is said 

 to be asleep ; it rather appears like a sudden -va- 

 pour, which, passing through the pores in an in- 

 stant penetrates to the very springs of life, from 

 whence it diffuses itself over the whole body, and 

 gives real pain. The nerves are so affected, that 



