On the Telephone. 81 
in 1863 in Dingler’s Pelytechnisches journal Vol. 169, p. 29, the 
following sentence occurs. “ Melodies can be reproduced with 
astonishing certainty, whilst single words, in reading speaking, &c., 
were less distinct, although the peculiar modulations of the voice 
in speaking, calling, interrogation, surprise or command were 
clearly marked.” 
The instrument described in this report is somewhat different 
from the earlier form. The diaphragm was a collodion film and 
the contact-breaker behind it was lighter and constructed in form 
of an S shaped lever, the longer arm of which was in contact with 
the membrane while the shorter made and broke the circuit (Fig 5.) 
There was no metal disc on the membrane but the circuit was 
completed by means of the arm on which the lever delicately 
moved. The receiver, moreover, was a small horse shoe electro- 
magnet, fixed horizontally to a sounding-board. (Fig. 6.) Here 
the movement of alight keeper adjusted by a spring before the 
poles of the magnet reproduced the original sounds. 
In a paper on Reis’s improved telephone published in Boéttgers 
Polytechnisches Notizblatt No. 15, 1863, it is stated “ Particularly 
distinct was the reproduction of the scale. The experimenters 
could even communicate to each other words; only such however 
as they had already heard frequently.” In confirmation of this 
may be added the following extract from a recent letter of Dr. 
Messel to the present writer. “There is not a shadow of doubt 
about Reis having achieved imperfect articulation, I personally, 
remember this very SE and could find you many other 
ear-witnesses of the same fact.” 
In 1865 a modification in Reis’ transmitter was made by Mr. 
Yeates of Dublin which might have led to important results had 
it been followed up at the time. A drop of water was introduced 
between the contact breaker of the transmitter. By this means the 
current was to some extent rendered a continwous one, the essential 
feature in a perfect articulating telephone, where gradual variations 
of the current strength are necessary and not sudden interruptions. 
Mr. Yeates also independently adopted the electro-magnet form of 
receiver that Reis had introduced in his later form of telephone. 
The instrument as modified by Mr. Yeates was shown at a meeting 
of the Philosophical Society in Dublin in 1865 and the articulation 
of several words was distinctly heard. But even in this and in 
