The Union and journal., 1870-04-22
Fire and Frost.
TIE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LIGHT
MING.

NiNo.
The New York Medical journal, for
Mprch, has an interesting paper on the
physiological effects Of lightning. from
which we gather the following statement
"a thuntler-bolt has been seem" says
Barberet, "to split tres without even
olackening II, while Il reduced 10 ashes n
shepherd who ha,l taken refuge under its
branches" -. Zone man alone WAS
killed." says Abbe Richard, 'and almost
rctiuccd 10 dust, in the midst Of many 9TH
ers who were under tho same tree"
'..The most curious rs well rs the most
recent instance Is tho following:. At Vic
sur.Aisne, in 1888, thunder-bolt struck
a lime tree. under which three soldiers
had taken shelter; they were all killed ut
tho same instant; still, although lifclcss,
the thrce remained erect, rs II tho electric
fluid had not reached them, their clothing
also appearing unipjured. But when they
wero touched, all foil, SO 1t Is. said. into n
heap Of dstcs,"
Col0nnc SAYS: "rhc fro Of cxhalation
which forms the thunderbolt must bo 50
subtitle and penetrating, that It kills n man
h., trying mp inst,nt,ncously MI his hu-
mJrs, without In tho least changing his
figure. We do not perceive him dead un-
til we touch him, and then Wc sec him Jail
10 dua.".. Gronbcrg remarks: at Is
demonstrated that lightning reduces bones
10 ashes. hut never to tho state of fusion"
IZlrn observes at Is proved that light
ming reduces bones to ashes" In fine,
Abbe Mann asserts: Lightning reduces to
ashes all parts of the human body, with
out altering the clothes Orskin."
Besides the complete incarceration of
persons. or of portions of bone, and of
trees struck by lightning, we have also
found that of somo inorganic bodies, such
rs tho following a lady's bonnet n mans
shoe, except tho wooden sole; Tancs Of
glass in windows; n cloth covering shields
which were fused; u purse. tho gold and
silver which IL contained not being dam
aged; the scdbbdrd of sword;a large
bean, reduced TO dust In tho miflle of u
chamber closed and fastened OH oil sides,
without any injury to the chamber; the
different materials ola house destroyed by
lightning; tho wood of % cask,e etc.
General Comte do Maistre, son of tho
illustriOus author of Soirccs dc .Srint-Ie-
tersbourg, informs DIR. BOudin that some
Sardnian sailors killed by lightningin the
Mediterranean presented all the signs OF
death by freezing. "This observation is
the more rcnlark,lble," adds nj. BOudin,
"as it recalls the congelation Of wine
long ago noticed by the ancients." On u
man struck by lightning towards the
back of tho head, Mt tho passage of the
stroke, there could bc found neither fr'sct-
ure, nor fissurc, nor yet nm alteration In
any other part of tho skull. The brain
was also very sound, there being alone ut
the superior part cOngcdiGd lymph, which
had inilltrated into the folds of tho Tid
nptter. This young man, killed by tho
stroke, remained in,mobiic.
Tho following theory Is proposed rs an
explanation of this curious fact:
Tho recent researches Of MN. JOulc,
Clausius, Thomson, and others, have led
physicists to regard heat rs resulting
from rotary motion of particles about
an axis, and NJ. dc In Rive has consider
cd this hypothesis rs calculated to OK
plain the polarity of atoms. This sdrdt
then asks, elf il might not be possible
that the cause of the heat generated by
tho reunion of tho two clectricitics,
brought about under the form of dis
charge of current, may be, not In tho
fact Itself of this reunion, but in an In
crease of molecular motion, which might
result from the transmission OF electrici-
typ" Consequently, according to this
theory, q current or an electrical dis
charge directed upon a body, must give
rise TO two molecular motions In contra
ry directions, and In the sequel to effects
equally inverse. In the first case, the
current being directed IN The same 'ody
rs the polarity which produces the natn-
raj heat of the body, 1t is evident that 1t
augments the rotary motion of the par
ticles around their axes, raises their ten-
perature' and produces In proportion to
It's energy new thcrnio-mechanical Of
fects. The result, therefore, will bc the
elevation of the temperature OF the body
traversed by the current Of electrical dis
charge. In the second case, the current
being. on the contrary, 90 dn inrcrsc d.
rcction from polarity which produces the
natural heat OF the body, II Is also evil
dent that Il diminishes tho rotary motion
of the particles around their axes, lowers
the temperature, and produces. rs In the
first case. thermo-mcchanical effects pro-
portional to It's power. Pho result, there
fore. will bc n lowering instead OF an ell
ovation Of the tempcratire. which low
ering may descend to the froexing-po'nt.