liiti 



OSJ THE TORPEDO. 



con{Iu6lor. A Ihock is not always felt on touching aneleclrjc 

 iiih; it muft be irritafed before it will give the fliock. This 

 aflion depends on the will of the animal, whofe eledlric powers 

 perhaps, are not kept conftanlly charged; yet it can recover 

 them with wonderful celerity, as it is capable of giving a long 

 fuccefTion of fliocks. 

 The /hock ob- 4. The fliock is felt (the animal being difpofed to give it) 

 tained by a mere as well on touching with one finger a fingle furface of the 

 ^„g^. eledlric organs, as on applying the two hands to the two fur^ 



faces, the upper and under, at once. In both cafes it is im- 

 material whether the perfon applying his finger or his two 

 hands, be infulated or not. 

 —but the con- ^' When an ifolated perfon touches the torpedo with a fingle 

 taft muft be finger, it is indifpenfible that thecontad be immediate, as no 

 Metals feem to ^^^^ ^''^ ^'^ ^^^^ '^ ^ conducling body (of metal for example) 

 be non-con^uc- be interpofed between the finger and the organ of the fifli,— ^j- 

 Acck of the ^'^^ *^'^ reafon, the animal may be touched with impunity by 

 torpedo, means of a key, or any other inftrument of metal. 



6. M. Gay-Lufiac having made this important obfervation, 



we placed a torpedo on a metal difli, with which the inferior 



furface of its organs were in conlad. The hand which fup- 



ported this difli experienced no fliock, wiiilft another ifolated 



perfon irritated the animal, whofe convulfive movement of the 



pedoral fins indicated a moft violent emifilon of the electric 



fluid. 



Erpcr'ments '' • When on the contrary, ?i perfon held the torpedo in a 



winch fliew thatjnetal difli in his left hand (as in the preceding experiment), 



'''*■" " ' and with his right touched the fuperior furface of the eledric 



organ, he experienced a fmart fliock in both arms at the fame 



moment. 



8. The fame was felt, on placing the fifli between two metal 

 plates, whofe edges were not in contact with each other, and 

 applying the two hands at once above and below them, 



9. But if the edges of the metal plates be fufl"ered to (ouch 

 each other, no fliock will be felt in either arm. The commur 

 nication between the two furfaces of the organs is, in this cafe, 

 formed by the plates ; and the new connection arifing from 

 the confaft of the two hands with the plates is without efFe6t, 



The organ? of 10. The moft fenfible electrometer manifefled no electrical 

 the torpedo have (enfion in the organs of the torpedo; in whatever way it was 



no influence on ,. , - ■ , ^ n rr , ■ ■ i- 



theelc^lrome- applied, it was not m the lealt affected; neither^ ongirecting 

 »er. it 



