1810.] 
from the human bladder, of such m 
nitude, has been hitherto exhibited or 
described in this country. 
Mr. Home has communicated to the 
Royal Society, some hints on the sub- 
ject of animal secretions, with a view of 
throwing new lights on animal chemistry. 
The discoveries of Mr. Davy suggested 
to Mr. Home the idea, that the animal 
secretions may be produced hy chemical 
changes effected by the power of electri- 
city. The voltaic battery, he observes, 
is met with in the torpedo and electrical 
eel, a circumstance that furnishes two 
Important facts; one, that a voltaic 
hattery can be formed in a living animal ; 
the other, that nerves ure essentially ne- 
cessary for its management; for in these 
fish, the nerves connected with the elec- 
trical organs, exceed those that go.to all 
the other parts of the fish, in the propor- 
tion of twenty to one. The nerves are 
made up of an infinite number of small 
fibres, a structuyre so different from that 
of the electric organ, that they are evi- 
dently not fitted to form a.voltaic battery 
of high power: but their structure ap- 
pears to adapt them to receive, and pre- 
serve a small electrical power, That 
the nerves arranged with muscles, so as 
to form a voltaic battery, have a power 
of accumulating and communicating 
electricity, is proved by the well-known 
experiments of the frog. There are 
several circumstances in the structure of 
the nerves, and their arrangements in 
animal bodies, which do not appear at 
all applicable to the purposes of common 
sensation, and whose uses have not even 
been devised. The organs of secretion 
are principally made up of arteries and 
veins; but there is nothing in the differ. 
ent modes in which these vessels ramify, 
that can in any way account for the 
changes in the blood, out of which the 
secretions arise. ‘These organ. are also 
abundantly supplied with nerves, 
a view to determine how far any changes 
could be produced in the blood by elec- 
tricity, at all similar to secretion, Mr. 
Prande, at the suggestion of Mr. Davy, 
made some experiments, first upon blood 
yeceutly drawn from the arm, and then 
upon a deer, in order to obtain the blood 
in # perfectly Auid state. Finding, how- 
ever, the coagulation of the blood an in- 
surmountable obstacle to the long cons 
tinued electrical action, the serum only 
was employed. In ang experiment, co- 
agulated albumen was rapidly separated 
at the negative pole, and alkaline matter 
evolved: at the positive pole, a small 
Royal Society of London. 
With | 
151 
guantity of albumen was gradually de- 
posited, and litmus paper indicated the 
presence of acid. These effects. were 
produced by a high electrical power upon 
serum. Witha lower power there was po 
appearance of coagulation at either poles 
in five minutes the positive wire became 
covered with a film of albumen, and in 
fifteen minutes a filament of about a 
quarter of an inch in length, was seen 
floating in the fluid, and adhering to the 
same wire. By these, and other expe~ 
riments, it was ascertained, that a low. 
negative power of electricity separates. 
from the serum of the blood an alkaline 
solution of albumen ; that a low positive 
power separates albumen with acid, and | 
the salts of the blood. That with one 
degree of power, albumen is separated in, 
a solid form, with a less degree it is se= 
parated in a fluid form, From these 
facts the following queries are proposed :, ~ 
(1), That such a decomposition of the 
blood, by electricity, may be as near an 
approach to secretion as could be exe - 
pected to be produced by artificial 
means, at present in our power. (2), 
That a weaker power of electricity than 
any that can he kept up by art, may be,» 
capable of separating from the blood the 
different parts of which it is composed, — 
and forming new combinations of the 
parts so separated, (3). That the struc 
ture of the nerves may fit them to have 
a low electrical power ; and as low pow- 
ers are not influenced by imperfect cons 
ductors, as animal fluids, the nerves will 
_hot be robbed of their electricity by the 
surrounding parts. (4). That the dis- 
covery of an electrical power which can 
separate albumen from the blood in a— 
fiuid state, and another that separates it. 
ina solid state, may explain the mode in 
which different animal selids and fluids 
may be produced, since albumen is the 
principal material of which animal boe. 
dies are composed. (5), That the 
nerves of the torpedo may not only keep. 
the electric organ under the command. 
of the will, but charge the battery, by 
secreting the fluid between the plates, 
that is necessary for its activity. (6), 
As albumen becomes coagulated by the, 
effect of a power tao low to affect the 
most delicate electrometer, may it not. 
occasionally be employed as a chemical, 
test of electricity, while the production 
of acid and alkali, affected by still infes 
rior degrees of electricity to thoye ree 
quired for the coagulation of albumen, 
may likewise be regarded gs auxiliary. 
tests on such occasions, ete 
VARIETI ES, 
