The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-30 00:00:00

municated hut to a chosen few, it Imlay perhaps af-
ford gratification to out readers to kttow, tat the
first of-a scriestif leStnees has opened the prospea of
more universal 'di.Tusien of this branch of ehilosc-
phy.
Yesterelay Mr. Wilkinson, an eminent surgeon in
Soho-squire, delivered at his house a leaure on
Galvanism, in which he introduced a variety of
teresting experiments, as to the defiagratiort;rf g.!
silver, copper, and tin, and spewed the Thfluee
of the galvanic fluid on the nerves and es
various dead animals. •
A very numerous and elegant co .es
and gentlemen attended the leattre. one
o'clock the Lecturer commenced, by ob , that
he had it in contemplation, in 'a course of leaures,
to enter into the theory and practice of the new dis-
covery in philosophy, which had obtained the name
of Galvaninn. It was, he said, a discovery, which,
as far as it had been investigated, promised to he of
the most important and essential advantage to man-
kind. Galvanism was one of the most powerful
agents ever found out by the ingenuity of man ; it'
was a species of eledricity acting with irresistible
impulse, not only on the nerves and muscles, but
even on the bones of animals ; it was the effect of a
principle, in metallic bodies, which had been disco-
vered by mere chance and accident—Not that he
meant to infer it owed its rise to that sort of acci-
dent which would have rendered it discoverable by
any person unhabituated to the researches of expe-
rimental philosophy. It might not be unentertain-
ing to give a brief account of the origin of this sci-
ence—lt was this :
Galvani was a physician, who devoted much f
his time and attention to philosophical experiments :
it happened that his wife was taken ill, and was ad-
vised to have a dish of frogs. Several of those an:-
'mals were skinned, for the purpose of being dressed;
the operation was performed by Mr. Galvani hini-
self, and it was done in a room in which there was
an electrical apparatus ; during the time he had the
point of his knife applied to one of the frogs, a gen-
tleman, who stood near him, happened to draw an
elearical spark from the machine ; the professor im-
mediately observed an uncommon motion of the
muscles of the frog ; the circumstance attraaed his
notice, and led him to repeat the experiment ; he
found, that if the eledric fluid was communicated to
a person near him, while he held the point of Ms
kntfe'over the animal, its nerves and muscles were
visibly affected. The Lecturer here elucidated this
part of the subject, by performing the experiment
he had been describing : he turned an electric appa-
ratus, and communicated the fluid to a gentleman
who stood by ; he then took a frog, which had been
skinned some hours, and laying it en a plate, ap-
plied the part of a sharp instrument, such as sur-
geons use, to the frog—lmmediately its body and
limbs appeared to v;brate, but in no very material
degree. The Lecturer then proceeded to state, that
this experiment had-urged the Professor Galvani to
further inquiries ; the result of which proved, that
there was an electric fluid pervading the nerves and
muscles of animals, • which was capable of being
ailed upon by metallic substances of almost evezy
description—but the metals zinc, copper, and silver,
were.discovered to.be the most active. Having ob-
tained his theory. he proceeded to put it in practice,
and brought to perfedlon a series of experiments,
which the Lecturer said he would in due order sub-
mit to his auditors. In acquittal of his promise, ha
now commenced a variety of experiments, the exhi-
bition of which excited the wonder and admiration
of all who beheld them. He took a half-crown, and
a piece of metal of the same size, compounded of
zinc and copper, and having washed the half-crown,
and the plate of metal with muriatic acid, or a solua
tion of common salt and water, he laid them both
on the table. He then placed the head of the frog
on the half-crown, and the lower extremities on the
other metallic plate, and brought the two plates of
metal in contact by the application of the points of
a piece of copper wire to each. The cued of this
simple process was surprising : the frog, which was
extended over the two surfaces, appeared violently
agitated, its whole frame shook, and every nerve
seemed convulsed, it drew up its limbs, and then
extended them, precisely as that animal does in the
ad of swimming.
The Compaity seemed highly satisfied with this
wonderful proof of the power of Galvanism ; indeed
the effect is not to be credited, except by those who
witnessed it. The Lecturer then went on to state,
that a philOsopher of the name of Volta, following
up the system of Galvani, had invented what hal
since been denominated the Voltaic pile, an inven-
tion which had been 'communicated to DI. Nichol-
son, Dr. Carlisle, and many other learned men is
this country. The Lecturer described the nature of
this invention and its effect, with no less success than
the former experiments ; it consisted, of a number
of plates formed of zinc on one side, and copper on
the other, piled one upon another to the amount of
about forty or fifty, with a piece of woollen cloth,
moistened with the muriatic acid, placed between
each. Upon a person's wetting his hands with tile
acid, and applying the finger of one hand to the
bottom of the pile, an. a finger of the other hand to
the piece of metal on the .top, he immediately re-
ceived a shock, which we shall find some difficulty err
describing : it was something like what we read ci
the e3e6l prOduced by the touch of the torpedo the
fluid seemed to be particularly attreded towards
the knuckles and the join of the elbow ; the sensa-
tion w... eseiereely unpleasant, but it was nothing
to what was produced by a subsequent experiment.
The Lecturer took a fr.T, and 1 .'d the end of its
toes immediately over the upper plate of the pile, in-
stantly the limbs began to move with more viulence
than they had done before; the ani:nal was entirely
. agitated, and the motion of its legs and thighs was
as strong as if it had been *dually alive. The Lece
turer then stated, that another professor, we believe
of the name of Suva, lad written to Sir Joseph
.B nks, iafirm:ng him he had invented a metallic
battery,, by winch the effed of the Galvanic fluid
might be considerably concentrated and encreased.
air Joseph Bunks, with the assisaiece of other leata.
men with whom be communicated, had succeeded
to their ut:nost expeaatioes in con .ou!ling sucli a
; battery, and the Lecturer said he proposed- to she se
the company the (Ca of it. Tins battery consisted
o: four boxes, each stout two f-e: long and tees

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so small a portion cf general inforloon has been
conveyed—subjeci which has higlin been c,on-
fined to the' researches Of the kained, and linen corn-
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