ANIMAL ELECTRIClTr. 237 



2. We have found, that when a piece of filver is brought in 

 contact with the tinfoil coating of a nerve, the mufcles in which 

 that nerve terminates, are thrown into action, although the 

 nerve has been furrounded with a tight ligature between the 

 coating and the mufcle, or even although it has been divided 

 by a tranfverfe incifion, provided the divided parts are again 

 brought into contact, or tied together by a thread. 



3. When we tie the coated nerve, after it is cut tranfverfely, 

 to another nerve which has been cut tranfverfely, we have 

 found, that the mufcles fupplied by the latter are thrown into 

 action. 



4. After the fpinal marrow and whole body of the frog 

 were divided tranfverfely about the middle of the back, and 

 the tin coating and filver were applied to the fciatic nerve, 

 I did not obferve, that the mufcles at the loins and pelvis were 

 thrown into action, or the effect produced by the metals did 

 not influence mufcles fupplied by branches of nerves fent 

 off from the fpinal marrow or fciatic nerves above the coat- 

 ing. 



It appears, that the nerve of a living animal, whether entire, 

 or cut and rejoined, conducts that matter by which the mufcle 

 is influenced more readily than the fkin, the fleih or the blood- 

 veffels do. 



5. Although, on repeating Dr GalvanTs experiments, it 

 fhould be proved that electrical matter, drawn from a cloud or 

 excited by the common machinery, and conducted to a nerve, 

 and that matter, which is put in motion by the application of 

 certain metals to each other and to a nerve, produce fimilar 

 motions in the mufcles in which the nerve terminates, we are 

 not at liberty to take for granted, as Galvani and Valli 

 feem to have done, that the electrical matter and this matter 

 are the fame, as the nerves may be affected by ftimuli of dif- 

 ferent kinds. 



1 6. As 



