Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1829-09-15
WILLIAM PENN.
From the Library of Useful Knowledge.
ORIGIN OF GALVANISM.

The term Galvanism is employed t.
designate peculiar form of electrick
agency, ELECTED under particular circum
stances, and capable of producing Ger
tain effects on bodies, not usually re
sulting from the ordinary. modes of excl
tation. The first notice that we find o
any phenomenon referable to this brancl
Of electricity, occurs in metaphysical
work, published in 1867, and entitled
The General Theory Of Pleasures, by a
German writer of the name of Sulzer, who
observed, that by applying two metals,
one above, and the other below the tongue,
and then bringing them into contact, a
peculiar taste was perceived. He ascrib-
ed this sensation to some vibratory mo-
ton, excited by the contact of the metals,
and communicated to the nerves of the
tongue. Content with this loose and fam
ciful explanation. Sulzer appears to have
pursued the inquiry no farther and the
curious fact he had announced remained
for many years unnoticed, until the atten-
ton of the philosophical world was drawn
to the subject, by the discovery of Galva-
nj. Important discoveries in science seem
often to arise from accident but on clo-
ser examination, it is found that they al
always imply the exercise of profound
thought. AS the fertility of the soil is es-
sential to the termination and growth of
the seed which the wind may have scat
tered on its surface, so it is principally
from the qualities of mind in the observer
that an observation derives its value, and
may be made eventually to expand into an
important branch ofscience. This has been
remarkably exemplifed in the origin of
galvanism. Its founder, Galvani, was pro-
fessor of anatomy at Bologna, and had
early distinguished himself by his attain
ments and his zeal in his profession, and
especially by the ardour with which he
cultivated comparative anatomy. 1t hap
pened, in the year 1890, that his wife be-
ing consumptive, was advised to take, as
a nutritive article of diet, some soup made
of the flesh Of frogs. Several of these an
finals, recently skinned for that purpose,
were lying on a table in the laboratory
close to an electrical machine, with which
a pupil of the professor was amusing him.
self in trying experiments. While the
machine was in action, he CHANGED to
touch the bare nerve of the leg of one oil
the frogs with the blade Of the knife that
he held in his hand when suddenly the
whole limb was thrown into violent con-
WILSON'S. Galvani was not present when
this occurred, but received the account
from his lady, who had been struck with
the singularlty of the appearance. He
lost no time in repeating the experiment
in examining minutely all the circumstan.
ces connected with it, and in determining
those on which its success depended. He
ascertained that the commissions took place
only at the moment when spark was
drawn from the prime conductor, and the
knife was at the same time in contact
with the nerve Of the frog He next found
that other metallick bodies might be sub
stituted for the knife; and very Justly in
ferred that they owed this property of ex
citing muscular contractions to their be
ing good conductors Of electricity.
Far from being satisfied with having ar
rived at this conclusion, it oaly served e