-1802.] 
fmart and painful twitch in the tooth, 
whereas this did not take place, when he 
made the filver reft on a found tooth. He 
had a number of pieces of zinc made of 
the fize of a fhilling, and made them up 
into a rouleau with as many fhillings, 
-which alternation increafes confiderably 
the irritation. (We find here the firft 
traces of a Galvanic batiery). 
The German tranflation of the above 
> work is, upon the whole, wel] done. 
EufebiusValli’s Experiments on Animal Elec- 
tricity, from Fourcroy’s Medicine Eclai- 
rée par les Sciences Phyfiques, &c. tom. iv. 
tranflated in Hufeland’s und Gottling’s 
Aufklarungen, &c. i.e. Explanations of 
Medicine from the Neweft Difcoveries in 
Natural Philofophy, &c. vol. 1. Weimar, 
1793, No. I.—Of the fame, Neweit Ex- 
periments on Animal Electricity, and the 
A@tion of Poifons and Gaffes on it; from 
the Efprit des Journaux, 1792, Novem- 
ber 5 tranflated into German, ibid. No, X. 
—Of the fame, Neweft Experiments on 
the Aétion of Metalline Coatings upon 
Animal Eleéricity ; Efprit des Journaux, 
1793, January and February 5 traniflated 
into German, ibid. 
We purpofe to relate here only fome 
of the moft important of the great num- 
ber of experiments, by which the author 
has endeavoured to confirm his hypothefis 
of an eleétricity peculiar to animals. 
Opium applied to the nerves did not 
prevent the motion occafioned by the 
Galvanic ftimulus. In the experiments 
made on the nerves of the heart, the Gal- 
vanic ftimulus proved ineffeétual. In 
order to thew the prefence’ of electricity, 
the author rejates the following experi- 
ment. Having prepared fourteen frogs, 
he combined their crural nerves by a 
common armature, and afrer he had efta- 
blifhed a communication between tlie 
nerves and mu(cies by the excitor, com- 
Motions were produced. But almoft at 
the inftant of the difcharge, two fmall 
pieces of ftraw, which had been placed 
at fome diftance from each other, and 
nearly touched the apparatus, flew clofely 
together. A moufe was fcarcely dead, 
when, on- having opened it, and armed 
the fore-legs, he obferved a moft fingular 
circumftance—the hair of the fkin, when 
the conductor was brought near to the 
animal, ftood an end, and moved, as if 
“agitated by a gentle current of air. Ihe 
author's experimeats evidently fhew the 
conducting quality of moilt animal fub- 
ftances, which are in contaé& with the 
nerve. Seyeral cafes likewife occurred 
tto him of the Galvanic ftimulus having 
MontTuiy Mas. No. 875 
| Hiftorical Account of Galvanifm 
427 
proved ineffeétual in animals, though 
they were convulfed by a mechanical irri. 
tation. When the coating has been left 
for fome time at any part of the nerve, the 
motions ceafe; but, on its being removed 
to another part, particularly a little down- 
wards, the motions are again obferved. 
The experiments of the author, and 
obfervations on the effects of electricity 
in the living body, are collected ina book, 
entitled, 
Experiments on Animal Ele&ricity, with 
Application to Phyfiology, and fome Pa- 
thological and Medical Obfervations, by 
_Eufebius Valli. London, 1793—8vo. 
De Metallorum Irritamento, veram ad ex= 
plodendam Mortem, Differtatio, qud4m— 
proponit Fr..X. Klein, Mentz, 4794—4 5 
tranflated into German in Gren’s Neuem 
Journal der Phyfik: i. e, New Journal of 
Natural Philofophy, vol. i. p. 36. 
This publication contains feveral ideas 
on life and death, and on the application 
of the Galvanic ftimulus, for the purpofe 
of ufing it as the moft convincing proof 
of death: but as they are more fully pro- 
pofed in a work publithed by Mr. Creve, 
viz. Vow Metallreize, einem neuentdeck- 
tem, untrighcher Prufungsmittel des wab~ 
ren Todes; i.e. of the Metallic Stimulus, 
a new-difcovered infallible Proof of Real 
Death (Leipzig, 1796—8), we fhall here 
forbear any «arther account. 
J. Aldini de Animali Eie@ricitate Differta- 
tiones due. Bologna, 1794, with Plates, 
—-Dell Ufo e dell’ Attivita dell? Arco Con- 
duttore nelle Contrazione dei Mufcolis i.e; 
on the Ufe and A@tion of the Conduéting- 
arc in the Contraétions of Mufcles. . Bo- 
logna, 1794) p. 1g0—8vo, | 
- Thefe two books have been written in 
favour of Mr. Galvani’s theory, for which 
purpofe feveral’ experiments had been 
made, from which the author of the La- 
tin work has drawn retulés agreeing with 
the above ‘theory. The anonymous au- 
thor of the Italian publication diftingu fies 
animal eleStricity.from common eleétrici- 
ty by the following characteriftics ;— 
1. That it thews itfeif efficacious through 
heterogeneous conduétors ; 2. that it adts 
in a vacuum equally vigoroufly as in the 
air; 3. that an immediate contaét is ne- 
teflary for its action, which does not ex- 
tend itfelf tothe {malleft ditance; 4. that 
it is always ready to act with vigour 
without any previous accumulation. or 
charge; 5. that it does not pals through 
flame, which however is the cafe with 
common eleétricity ; 6. that it does not 
in the leaft affect the elerometer. 
3K Dill, 
