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port of its living energies, dill evinces manifeft figns of 
the exigence of a vital principle, when roofed into ac¬ 
tion of galvanifm. Thus the mufcular contractions in¬ 
duced by the influence of a fmall portion of eleCtricity, 
were ftrongly manifefted in the experiment on the frog, 
which led Galvani to his important difcovery. Though 
the frog, in Galvani’s experiment, was at a diftance from 
the machine, and not at all connected with it, yet as of¬ 
ten as the muffles were touched with tiie differing knife, 
upon a fnark being drawn from the prime conductor of 
the eleCtrical machine, the mufcles of the frog were fet 
in motion. But Mr. Wilkinfon has placed this fact in a 
ftronger point of view, by a very curious experiment on 
an ox’s head, which was thrown into convulfive motions 
by the influence of fix galvanic batteries. ‘ When the 
head is warm, and has not been long feparated from the 
body of the animal, (fays this writer,) the convulfive 
actions are very confiderable. The eyes open fpontane- 
oufly, and the pupils become dilated. The ears and 
hocus move with a confiderable force ; and when the 
tongue is drawn out, and even fecured to the table by 
perforating it with an iron (kewer which is made to, pe¬ 
netrate into the wood more than half an inch, I have fre¬ 
quently obferved a retraction of that organ, fo powerful 
as to detach the (kewer from the table, and to throw it 
up into the air, to the diftance of nearly,a yard. When 
I fubjeCted an entire (beep to the galvanic influence, the 
motions refembled the convulfive druggies of animals in 
an epileptic date, and were much more powerful than 
the natural actions. The horfes recently killed, which 
I likewife gal vanized, required two perfons to redrain the 
motions of each of the legs.’ 
“ When life is merely fufpmded, and the principle of 
irritability not dejlroyed, the dimulus of galvanifm, pru¬ 
dently employed, may roufe the dormant energies of vi¬ 
tality, and redore the fydem to its aCtive date. Fortu¬ 
nately, in mod cafes of afphyxia, the principle of irrita¬ 
bility is not in any degree ledened. An animal, whether 
drowned in water or in hydrogen gas, exhibits nearly the 
fame fymptoms. When expofed to either of thefe me¬ 
dia, the pulfe foon becomes weak and frequent; the ani¬ 
mal feels at the bread an anxiety which it druggies to 
relieve ; and thefe difficulties increafe until it falls down 
without fenfe or motion. 
“In cafes of fufpended animation, whether from drown¬ 
ing, dpangling, or expofure to noxious gafes, the body 
tV fiiould be diverted of its clothing! and placed in a warm 
bed, nearly approaching to the natural temperature. If 
it can be procured, air, with an increafed proportion of 
oxygen, (hould be introduced into the lungs; and, at 
the fame inrtant, very gentle galvanic (hocks (hould be 
parted through the body, in fuch a direction as to influ¬ 
ence the heart. By combining this principle with the 
other ufiial means, the mod advantageous effeCts may be 
expeCted. In the cafe of Forrter, a condemned criminal, 
five or fix hours after his execution, fuch motions were 
produced by the galvanic apparatus, as to lead the prac¬ 
titioners who were prefent, to.fuppofe that, at this late 
period, even a recovery might, by perfeverance, have 
pofilbly enfued. The general idea that, in cafes of hang¬ 
ing, the vertebrae are didocated, is erroneous. Ver/few 
indances have occurred of any organic derangement ; in- 
fornuch, that whether the death be occafioned by hang¬ 
ing or drowning, the caufe- is merely fufibcation. 
“ I have conrtantly entertained a perfuafion, that com¬ 
plete death takes place from the arteries being emptied 
of their contents. In the lad convulfive agonies, thofe 
arterial terminations, which do not admit the partage of 
red blood, having lod their redding power, furt'er the 
whole of the blood to be emptied into the venous fyf- 
tem. In this way the energy of every part of the body 
is dertroyfed.” 
Galvanic experiments were very lately made by Mr. 
Carptte, in the prefence of Dr. Pearfon, and other medi¬ 
cal gentlemen, on the body of Michael Carney, a crimi- 
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nal, executed for murder. The principal objeCt was to 
afeertain whether galvanifm, applied immediately to thf 
nerves, could excite aCtion in the internal parts, and par¬ 
ticularly thofe fubfervient to rejpiration. With this view 
an opening was firrt made into the windpipe, and about 
three pints of oxygen gas thrown into the lungs; the 
phrenic nerve was then expofed to conductors applied to 
it, and to the inlide of the reCtum, the lungs being at the 
fame time occafionally inflated ; yet no addon could be ex¬ 
cited in the diaphragm: the nerves do not feem to be con¬ 
ductors of the galvanic fluid. Conductors applied to the 
infide of the reCtum and nortrils, excited very confider¬ 
able contractions in the right auricle, more than three 
hours after death ; yet the ventricles were perjedly motionlefs. 
Thefe experiments were conducted with perfeCt accuracy 
and fcience ; but no new fact appears to have been af. 
certained, favourable to the dimulus of the refpirable 
organ. This refult teems therefore to manifeft one gene¬ 
ral and ferious faCt—namely, that when the functions of 
animal life are annihilated, the active powers and influ¬ 
ences of nature, aided even by the mod ingenious arti¬ 
fice of man, are incompetent to redore the aCtion of the 
lungs, or what is termed rejpiration. This experiment 
indifputably proves, that how much foever eleCtricity 
might agitate and dirturb dead matter, it has no power 
whatever in the revivification of human life. 
ELEC'TRIDES, in ancient geography, ifiands in the 
Adriatic fea, which received their name from the quan¬ 
tity of amber (cletlrum) which they produced. They 
were at the mouth of the Po, according to Apollonius of 
Rhodes : but fome hiftorians doubt of their exidence. 
Plin. Mela. *» 
ELECTRI'FEROUS, adj. [from the Lat. eleElrum, am¬ 
ber, and fern, to bear.] Bearing amber, producing amber. 
ELEC'TRINE, adj. [from eleElrum, Lat.] Belonging 
to amber. 
ELECTRO'METER, f. An indrument for meafuring 
or afeertaining the firength or intenfity of the eleCtric fiuid, 
whether accumulated by an eleCtrical machine, or gene¬ 
rated fpontaneoufiy in the atmofphere, &c. See the pre¬ 
ceding article Electricity, p. 414-419. 
ELECTRO'PHORUSjy. The mod (itnple, yet by fome 
called perpetual, eleCtrical machine. See Electricity, 
P- 4 G- 
ELEC'TROSCOPE,y. An indrument condruCted of 
very delicate materials, fo as to be influenced by the 
fmalled portions of eleCtricity ; for indancc, of fine flaxen 
or filver threads, with or without pith-balls, as invented 
by Mr. Canton; or (lips of gold leaf, as firrt contrived 
by Mr. Bennett. Thefe indruments have ufually been 
termed elcElrometers, but improperly, becaufe they are by 
no means calculated to meafure intenfe eleCtricity. They 
merely (hew, by their eafy dirturbarree, the prefence of 
fmall portions of eleCtricity ; as is implied by the word 
eleElroJcope. For the adoption of this diftinCtive term in 
eleCtricity, we ate indebted to Beccaria. 
ELEC'TRUM,yi [from viAe y.roq, Gr. the fun, becaufe 
of its bright (liming colour, or from eAkw, to draw, be¬ 
caufe of its magnetic power.] -Medical name of amber. 
ELEC'TRYON, a king of Argos, fon of Perfeus and 
Andromeda. He was brother to Alcaeus, and father to 
Alcmene. He Cent his fons againrt the Teleboans, who 
had ravaged his country, and they were all killed except 
Lycinmius. Upon this, EleCtryon promifed his crown 
and daughter in marriage to him who could undertake 
to punifh the Teleboans for the death of his fons. Am¬ 
phitryon offered himfelf and lucceeded. EleCtryon in¬ 
advertently perilhed by the hand of his (on-in-law. 
Apollod. 
ELEC'TU ARY, J. [_clcElarium, Lat. Ccc'us Aurel. which 
is now written cledluary.'] A form of medicine made of 
conferves and powders, in the confidence of honey— .Elec¬ 
tuaries made up with honey or fyrup, when the confid¬ 
ence is too thin, ferment; and when too thick, candy. 
By both which the ingredients will be altered or impair- 
2 ** ed, 
