576 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1755, 



a low beaufet, upon which was likewise placed a China bowl that was cracked ; 

 and there was such a shaking in the house, that the shock even stopped the 

 movement of an English clock, or pendulum, which was in an adjoining room. 

 There was no other inflammation happened in the house. But we have found 

 another effect of the force of electricity, or of thunder-bolts, discoverable by the 

 door-posts of the house ; for they were rent asunder length-wise, and the door, 

 with that part of the posts, so torn away, twirled into the porch. The reason of 

 which appears to be, because one of the above-mentioned chains, that were 

 carried from the bars at the house-top to the expositor, passed very near them : 

 and the kitchen door, being at a little distance off, had a splinter torn out, and 

 dashed against a stair-case, that went towards the top of the house ; so that part 

 of the elecrical matter seems to have taken its course this way, but without doing 

 any more damage. They opened a vein of the breathless body twice, but no 

 blood followed. They endeavoured to recover sensation by violent chafing, but 

 in vain. On turning the corpse topsy-turvy, during the rubbing, an inconsi- 

 derable quantity of blood fell out of the mouth. There appeared a red spot on 

 the forehead, from which spirted some drops of blood through the pores, without 

 wounding the skin. The shoe belonging to the left foot was burst open. Un- 

 covering the foot at that place, they found a blue mark, by which it is concluded, 

 that the electrical force of the thunder having forced into the head, made its way 

 out again at the foot. On the body, particularly on the left side, were several 

 red and blue spots, resembling leather shrunk by being burnt. Many more blue 

 spots were afterwards visible over the whole body, and in particular on the back. 

 That on the forehead changed to a brownish red. The hair of the head was not 

 singed, though the spot touched some of it. In the place where the shoe was 

 unripped, the stocking was entire; as was his coat every where, the waistcoat 

 being only singed on the fore-flap, where it joined the hinder. But there ap- 

 peared on the back of the engraver's coat long narrow streaks, as if red-hot wires 

 had burnt off the nap. 



When the body was opened the next day, 24 hours afterwards, the cranium 

 was very entire, having no fissure or cross-opening ; the brain as sound as pos- 

 sibly it could ; the transparent pellicles of the wind-pipe were excessively tender, 

 gave way, and rent easily. There was some extravasated blood in it, and in the 

 cavities below the lungs ; those by the breast being quite sound, and not da- 

 maged, but those towards the back of a brownish black colour, and filled with 

 more of the above blood ; otherwise none of the entrails were touched ; the 

 throat, glands, and the thin intestines, were all inflamed. The singed leather- 

 coloured spots penetrated the skin only. In short, though one could trace out 

 all the consequences of an instantaneous stroke throughout the whole body, yet 

 many of them have not appeared to happen to others struck by thunder, when 



