388 
Mr. Home’s Hints on the Subject 
Experiment 1. Middle of January, 1809. 
The conductors from twenty four four inch double plates 
of copper and zinc, charged with a very weak solution of mu- 
riatic acid, were immersed in four ounces of blood, immedi- 
ately on its having been withdrawn from a vein in the arm. 
The temperature of the blood was kept up at ioo° during the 
experiment. The apparatus was so constructed, as to admit 
of the products at the negative and positive wires being sepa- 
rately collected and examined. When the electrization had 
been carried on for a quarter of an hour, all action seemed to 
have ceased. The blood which had surrounded the negative 
wire, was of a deep red colour and extremely alkaline ; that 
surrounding the positive wire was slightly acid, and of a 
brighter hue. 
In this experiment, the coagulation of the blood was not 
materially affected by the electrical power alluded to. 
Experiment 2. 8th of February, 1809. 
Finding it necessary to submit perfectly fluid blood to the 
action of electricity, the following experiment was undertaken 
.with a view of keeping it the longest possible time in that 
state. 
A deer having been pithed, the abdomen was immediately 
opened into, and a length of about four inches of a large vein 
in the meso-colon was detached from the neighbouring parts. 
Two small platina wires, connected in the usual way with 
forty three inch double plates, were inserted into this detached 
portion of vein, and secured .by ligatures, having their points 
at a distance of about one inch from each other. The com- 
munication with the battery was kept up for one quarter of 
