EXPERIMENTS WITH THE ELECTRIC PILE. ] 79 



the tongue, has drawn but flight attention. It is true (hefe I" the latter cafe 



, , ,, , , . . , , . the b.ack oxide 



inquiries, like all others relating to organized beings, are very a,ranges itfelf in 



difficult, particularly when they concern an aftion that is fre- ftars, as when 

 quenlly injurious to the living fubjed. Ritter has more than machine pofi- 

 once paid for the following difcoveries, by long and even dan- tively; and the 

 gerou.fit.„fillners. ntLS*":. 



It is well known, that the flcin, being a bad condu(5!or, mud femblethofe pro- 

 be wetted, to make it a good one: it is likewife found in prai- '^^.'i''^ by elec- 



tntying thepoW" 



tice, that a furface of confiderable extent rauft be wetted and demegatively. 

 armed with metal, to have all the poffible effed of a pile. '^^•*^" '^e poles 



m r ' ■ im 1 IT 1 1 • 11 are not made to 



Ine realon is not difficult to dilcover, though it may lead to communicate by 

 many important confequences: we have onjy to advert to the nieans of a con- 



kr ci. .1 . 1 r-L I i-^ / dudtor, the che- 



nown tatt, that conductors can only convey a quantity of ^^^^^ adlion of 



eledricity proportionate to their furfacej whence it follows, the ftrata is very 



that, to produce the greateft effed, a confiderable extent of'^"!'^"^^. .^ 

 . f^ f5 ^ » piates of zinc are 



Ikin mufi: be made a good conductor. If one of the furfaces oxided lefs in 

 wetted and armed with metal, which is touched by the con- ^^"P^^'a" '^ 

 ductors of the pile, be larger than the other, the fenfation is from the pifidve 

 lefs diftind than that which takes place on the fmaller, where P°'^' ^"^ ^hofe 

 there is a more perceptible, and often painful fenfation : fo that tive pole app?ar" 

 we are raafters of the magnitude of the effed that we would to have been pro- 



j i r ii I I • I . - tefted from this 



produce on any part of the body, a very important circum- aft, on 



iiance in employing galvanifm medicinally. If every fifth 



The following is an application of what has juft been faid. TJ/ '°^ '," ''""' 

 r> I r J tadt with a., iron 



All the difference between the fhock obtained from the pile, wirecommuni- 

 and that received from a jar, arifes from the difFerent ftates in"'^'"g^'^^ 

 which we are wfien we touch them: ir a very large pile be dation of the 

 touched with dry hands, we experience the fame fenfation, as ^l'""^? ^'" be in 

 if we had touched a charged jar: on the contrary, if with of theirdiftance* 

 hands thoroughly wetted and armed with metal we touch a ^""" '^^epofitive 

 jar previoufly difcharged by dry hands, we receive a fliock f^gf^ir •^"' 

 fimilar to that of the galvanic pile. be more oxided, 



Ritter reduces all the effeas of the pile on the animal body ^^'^"""e/imply 



f^ _ - irandi g m 



to expanfions and contradions. By the pofitive conductor he water, and the 

 has made feveral parts of the human body afTume a greater ^y^""^^ toward 

 bulk ; and by the negative he has made the fame parts con- will be preferved 

 tra6t. When the tongue is brought into confa6l with the po- ^''^^'" ^romoxi- 

 litive conductor, applying the negative to fbme other part- &^ Spark 

 of the body, and they be all left a few minutes in this flate, a and ihocl^. 

 little rifing is produced on the tongue: the negative condudtor, '^ i*, " ? 

 placed in contact with, it in the fame manner, produces a liftle human body has 

 N 2 depreffion. ^^^^J.^;'^ '"" 



