Star.
London, England, 1803-01-06 00:00:00

GALVANISM.

Some days ago we laid before our Readers Come
inteieflinfi particulars refpeding this fcirnce, ea-
traded from the Philofophical Magazine for No-
vember. In the Number for December of the fame
work, ju a publithed, we find the following curious
article on the fame fubjed

" Pub, Oft. z 4.

" C. Asyut!, a native of Italy, and nephew of
the celebrated GALVAN I, to whom we are indebted
for the difcovery of that ele.lricity called the Cal-
',rank, repeated. a few day% ago, in the pretence
of the Commillioners of the National Inilitute, sand
yeilerday at the Oratoire, in preknee of the Gal.
',attic Society, the principal experiments, in con-
fequence of which he afferts with j.ullice, that the
ideas of his uncle refpeeing animal eleericity
ought not to be entirely rejeeted, to adopt, exclu•
finely, thofe of Volta, refpefling metallic eledri-
city. It refults, indeed, from the experiments of
C. ALDINS, that there is an animal pile tied an
animal circle, as there is a metallic pile and metal-
lic circle.

" The experiments of which we were witnefres,
and which prove his opinion in a rigorous manner
.ire as follow .-
1. The fciatic nerves of a frog being laid
bare, as is ufually done for fubje/ling them to the
allion of the arming and metallic circle, be con-
tented himfelf with bringing together and putting
in contaet the macular parts of the thighs and
paws of the frog, with the uncovered nerves, and
contraftions of the animal, tc,,k place As in the
uflial Galvanic experiment.
2d. He took the frog by the paws, holding it
with one hand by the mufcular parts, making the
nerves hang down ; he touched with a finger of
the other hand the nerves thus fuftiended, and the
contraaions took place as by the metallic circle
and Galvanic apparatus.
" 3d. Fot the third expitiment be made bas
iffillant hold the frog by the paws, or by the muf-
ctilar parts, applied his finger to the nertes, with.
out giving his hand to the affillant, and the con-
tra tions did not take place. He then gave his
hand to the affiftant, and having applied a finger
of the other hand to the nerves, the contra lions
took place as in the other experiments. Thefe ex.
petiments were repeated on leveret frogs.
"In the lea place feveral experhnents were made
on the head of a huge dog, feparated from the
trunk, which bad no relation either to the animal
circle or pile ; but afterwards they took one of
the above frogs, and by putting a fingei into the
Epinal marrow of the dog, prefenting with the
other hand the nerves of the frog to one of the
mufcles of the trunk of the dog, the contraelions
of the frog took place as with the Galvanic ap-
paratus, which, according to the obferiations of
the author, leavei.no doubt refpeeting the
exill-
ence of the animal circle and pile. There inge-
nious experiments will, doubtlets, furnifh to their
modell and learned anther, a multitude of other
ideas on the animal economy, particularly re-
fpeaing the nervous fluid, Ike. which I leave his
the care and glory to explain.
44 For my part, I came out from thee experi-
ments charmed and tranfported with admiration
at the fimplicity of the means which nature em-
ploys in its phenomena, that feem to us the moll
complex. It appears to me proved, that to per-
form a prodigious number of its operations, it con-
tents itielf with one elearic fluid, which it pots in
motion at the furface and in the interior of the
earth, by a kind of Galvanic piles, which produce,
as I have explained in my leaures, a great nom-
ber of the phenomena of the animal and vegetable
kingdom, and that it bas employed the fame
agent in the animal kingdom, by organising the
nerves find mufcles as Galvanic piles, to execute
&oft of the operations of the animal life by the
fame agent, and by means of thefe fubftances, the
nerves and the ankles, which it has organifed in
fuch a manner, that they difcharge, in regard to
each other, the fame funaions as the different
metals, the contaa of which excites a permanent
current of the elearic fluid, which is the moil
valuable difcovery we are indebted for to the pile
of Volta. _ _ _ _

" It had hitherto been tried without faeces. to
excite a permanent elearic current, without frie.
tiob, and the machine of Meaux did not accom.
plait this end in a fatitfaaory manner.
"This permanence of the elearic fluid, for which
we are indebted to the Vukaic pile, is a difcovery
then no lefs admirable, perhaps, than that of Cl.
ti Len ALDINI j and both have given to the natural
fciences a ilimulus which will alb:ma future ages
if the refults be followed, as there is no ?carat to

doubt. MAU/Tilt Dm,
Profeffor in the Special School of Medicine
at Strailiorgh."
A piper on this Midi alto by Citisen
was lowly roorijibelpi..Dpil Society.
' . e,

„

11

ALDmt,