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Dr. C. B. Radcliffe on Electroscopic [May 31, 



shed much light upon the changes which are continually taking place in 

 the vital condition of the human body, especially when the electrical 

 changes within the body are taken in connexion with electrical and other 

 changes without the body. 



Second Series. — Experiments which furnish electroscopic indications of 

 electricity in living blood. 



The blood used in this series of experiments was collected in a wide- 

 mouthed glass bottle capable of holding about 2 oz. Immersed in the 

 blood and projecting to a convenient distance from the neck of the bottle, 

 was a piece of platinum wire. The bottle was provided with a loop of silk 

 braid, which loop was fastened in such a way as to allow the bottle to be 

 lifted up by it without spilling the contents ; and the necessary communi- 

 cation with each electroscope in turn was made by taking hold of the loop 

 and by bringing the platinum wire projecting from the mouth of the vessel 

 into connexion with the cap of the instrument. 



Exp. 6. — In this case the blood used was from the internal jugular vein 

 of a donkey, and the electroscopic indications obtained were those of negative 

 electricity = 6, — the actual movements of the gold leaves being d. d. = 4 in 

 the positive electroscope, and i. d. = 8 in the negative electroscope. 



Exp. 7. — Here the blood was from the internal carotid artery of the 

 same donkey which had furnished the venous blood used in the last expe- 

 riment ; and the result was also the same, namely, d. d. = 4 in the posi- 

 tive electroscope, and i. d. = 8 in the negative electroscope, — a result 

 denoting the action of negative electricity = 6 upon the instruments. 



Exp. 8. — In this experiment blood from the carotid artery of a sheep 

 was examined ; and the movements of the gold leaves were those of positive 

 electricity = 2, there being no alteration of the divergence of the gold leaves 

 in the negative electroscope, and i. d. = 4 in the positive electroscope. 



Exp. 9. — Here the blood used was from the carotid artery of a dog. 

 The examination was made without loss of time, and the animal seemed to 

 be in good health ; but all signs of electricity in the blood were absent, the 

 movements of the gold leaves being those of i. d. = 2 in both electroscopes 

 equally. 



Exp. 10. — The blood experimented upon in this case was that which 

 had been already used in Exp. 6, an interval of an hour and a half having 

 elapsed between the two experiments. In the former experiment the blood 

 gave electroscopic indications of negative electricity = 6 ; in this instance 

 these indications had disappeared altogether, for there was i. d = 2 in 

 both electroscopes equally. 



I have repeated experiments like these many times upon the blood 

 of various animals — oxen, sheep, dogs, rabbits, and so on— sometimes upon 

 pure arterial blood, sometimes upon pure venous blood, mo e frequently 

 upon the mixed stream which follows the knife of the butcher in the 

 ordinary process of slaughtering sheep and oxen. As a rule, I have found 



