384, Mr. W. Brande’s Observations on Albumen , &c. 
7. Pus. 
In the pus of a healthy sore, coagulation took place at botb 
poles ; most abundantly, however, at the negative pole. A 
slight degree of putrefaction having commenced in the pus 
which was examined, I did not pay particular attention to the 
other products of the experiment. 
In concluding this section, it may be proper to remark, that 
the decomposition of liquid albumen by Voltaic electricity, 
takes place in different ways, according to the power em- 
ployed. With a comparatively high electrical power, the co- 
agulation goes on rapidly at the negative pole, and only very 
slowly at the positive pole ; whereas, with an extremely low 
power, the coagulation is comparatively rapid at the positive 
surface, an alkaline solution of albumen surrounding the ne- 
gative pole. Thus, when the conductors from twenty four 
four inch double plates, highly charged, were brought within 
half an inch of each other, in a dilute solution of albumen' 
(consisting of one part of albumen to six of water), the coagu- 
lation was considerably more abundant at the negative than 
at the positive pole ; but when the conductors were removed^ 
from each other to a distance of eight inches, or when they 
remained at half an inch, being connected with a battery of 
six four inch double plates only, the coagulation was only 
perceptible at the positive pole, in consequence of the acid 
there collected. Hence we may infer, that a rapid abstraction 
of alkali is necessary to the perfect coagulation of albumen, 
since, in the cases above alluded to, the albumen remains in 
solution. 
