New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-22
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
EXTRACTING METALS BY ELECTRICITY.

EXTRACTING METALS BY EbEClhlCiii
To hs Editor Of Tls n. y. Tr'bSse
SIR: In YOUR paper of the 18th inst. there IS an ar
tcle upon the extraction OF metals from the system py
electricity over the signature of NJ Vergnes. AS the
writer of that article has applied the word ignorant 70
n man of Acknowledged science, il is well that the
public should know whether the person who uses tnst
.pi,het is justified IN doing, through the possession
of anv great amount OF science he may himself nave
ACQUIRED Mr.. Vergnes commences his article by IN
forming us that his discovery OF the extraction oi
metals from the system was late the year lsoO
The illustrations which Mr.. Vergnes brings forward
rs p,oof of his discovery are unfortunately anaSonsc
TO ali the laws of electricity, and therefore reute wlSt
be ,ttempts TO prove lie informs that, having
had his hands poisoned by cyanste ~ silver, tnv
which probably he the cyanide he was induced
To resort 10 the batery-curent as means OF eAuucV
;rg that salt His experiments, he informs us, were
spece,sful and what is little astonishing, he recov-
cred the whole of the cyanate OF SILVER upon tne Hes
tive plate of the battery Now, cyanate OF siVef OF
the cyanide either, Is compound composer oi az
el.etIo.ne eatiye and an electro-posve substance;
and how Mr. Vergnes could preciptae these Two cleo
tricay antagonstic substances, undecomposed, upon
tie same plate is more than any scientific man can
comprehend The language of this gentleman Is very
Ambiguous, and therefore we have sone dncu'y IN
eompfehending his precise meaning.
We shall. however, attempt 10 get at bus meaning,
so far as his method OF expression Will allow US ana "
we do not comprebesd him. he must attribute 1t 10 bis
obseurty of dicion, and not 10 any desie uPoh oul
nan 20 msrepresent him. Mr.. Vergnes thus gives us
The above lucid explanation OF the method by winch
he discovered fact which had already been enrolled
in the archives Of American science for SIX years
There is an article in The Cincinnati Dasy Conner
cal recording the experiments OF Professor SANDERS
nade in the ear s44 wherein the process described
by which mercury and other metals, and likewise the
halogens, passed through anu from the system.
These experiments were again brought before the puo
lie IN Hines Herald OF Truth for September, lsi'.
Still in the face Of these announcements, Mr. Nersnes
comes ont six years subsequently and claims the dis
eoyeres a. his own and in doing so, attempts to sub
stGntate them by educing experiments which present
direct scientific testimony against hs pretensions:
The next announcement which Dir. Nergnes mskess
rather new and therefore extend 10 him the credit OF
the discovery as never known before lie lnorms
,s that Dy working in salt OF silver the nervous
Tissues become lmpregnated with that metal ana that
the silver thea combined with the substance of the
nerves can be withdrawn by the voltaic current 1t
has been moOted question with pbysioogsts, whether
If mercury other metals do exist WITHIN the system
il as 4 compound IN the metallic state The question
has k keye been discussed with considerable erudton,
whether these metals combined with the vascular
or the parenchymous tissues But II appears that
Mr. Vegnes has laid the whole question at rest by the
discovery that these metals exist as combinations with
the Tissues of the nerves. We should suppose that
nervous matter, when altered IN ITS delicate sub
stance as 10 be combined with metal, would perhaps
manifest lnuCdlOn-tlIObgb Cs
bjlity or want OF it--of that great change.
The Psychologists and the chemists even of Mr..
Vergnes's own country doubt, will desire TO know
by what method OF nvestig alton he arrived at such an
astonishing discovery.
Ii appears nom the language in the last paragraph
Of Mr.. Vergnes's article that he modestly discalms
Sir Humphrey Davys discovery OF the transportation
of an acid and an alkal from the human body, and
which discovery he attn outes 10 DIR. Faraday but
the following discovery he thus announces:
But do claim that the cOnductabiy of the de-
pends uron osanEaon and consequently that poisonous
substance combined accidentally with the .hree elements OF
which the composed may be PEELED
from the system By chemical compound baths under the senss
OF a voltsic current judicousiy sppled."
We shall devote but small space 10 unrddle the
above funny state ment and then take our leave we
hope Of Mr. Vergnes and bis baths forever. How
ever, before speak OF the above quotation, we
wish simply TO remark, that the very baths that Mr.
Vergues uses and adverses 20 extensively, are the
eloquent expOnents of his misconception Of the
laws of electricity that he could possibly have devised
II one Of Mr.. Vergnes patients will sit steadily in one
Of these baths for few minutes, be will observe on
the lust beneath the surface OF the water and ex
tendisg only an inch or two below it, red zone or belt
indicative of the egress of the current In word,
the yotaic current invariably takes the shortest circuit
to the negative pole, and especially that circuit be
the best conductor OF electricity.
TLis il precisely the in the baths Of Mr. Verg
pes. As soon the current reaches the surface Of
the water which has been rendered. better conductor
than the body it immediately leaves the latter, and
passing through the water deserts the body entirely
ere il has progressed more than inch two. Tire
galvaBometer will Indicate that only few inches be-
low tie surface of the water there ID not the least cur
rent Of electricity but that it has entirely passed away
from the body. Considering Mr.. Vergncs's facility of
language, we suppose that he may feel disposed to
dispute this assertion. Let him resort to his galva
nometer aud verify it, and then admit his error.
Mr.. Wrgnes has, in the paragraph quoted above,
given us all that he claims to have discovered Let
examine il as rigdly the ambiguity of the language
will admit. Mr.. Ve1gDes says, first, " But do claim
"that the conductabity Of the depends upon its
organization This expression is very obscure.
Mr. Vergnes could not mean that the cOnductabity Of
the nerves depends upon the organization of the
ducablty, for altho ugh the language conveys that
sning still it is nonsense. Perhaps AFR. Vergnes
means that the conductabily of the nerves depends
upon their organization; aud iftba is bis meaning he
las stated nothing than has been done long ago
by Matteucci, DIR. Du Bois Raymond, and Others.
Then Mr. Vergnes informs that poisonous substance
can combine with nervous substance, and that acc
dentally.
There is no such thing as accidental combination,
for all chemical combination il the result of mmutabe
law; but that law will not admit of poisonous sub
stance foImiug a chemical combination with the sub
stance Of the nerves.
Mr. Vergnes ought TO devote few of his leisure
hours TO the study of chemistry Had he done so he
would never have made the above statement,
that which Immediately follows it, that the nervous
tissues composed OF but three elementary bodies.
We do sincerely think that before any one presumes
to apply the epthet Of ignorant to person who has
been identified with American science for the last quar-
Of century, he sheud least present evidence of
his own qualifications. z.