Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1879-01-02
CAN FINGERS AND TOES SING.


An Electricians Views on tho IdiOphOnic
Character of the Human Body.
From the New YoEk Void.
In the IfoyH of Sunday appeared
communication from physician announ-
cling the ease of young lady in Chicago,
who while in condition resembling that
of Miss Fancher, of Brooklyn, developed
the power of whistling with her eyes and
singing part songs with her eXtremities.
Although these statements were startling
in the extreme and calculated TO excite
the ridlcule OF the most credulOus, Il re.
porter Of the II'OrM recalled the wonder
tul powers OF the phonograph, which can
sing without vocal chords and whistle
without any puckcring of lips; andhe also
remembered various curious properties of
the electrical current which under certain
condition produces Of itselfaudiblc sounds.
| Then he called on d man, who, for his
own amusement anil instruction, hats
experimental with th elective force for
many years, and a,hr1 las opinion,
"Well, said he, "let me say first that
believe at some future day the nervous
force and electricity will he found to be
identical. Every scientific man knows
that certain manifestations are common
TO both these forces. Now, in the normal
condition Of the human body while the
organs carry out their functions their aC-
ton Is not apprrciablc; but so soon us 4
man becomes sick or slightly out Of sorts
he knows from his unpleasant feelings
that he has heart or lungs or stomach,
as the case may be. SuppoSmg the nrry-
ouS system becomes diseased. or that It's
lGnrtiOns are thrown out of gear, so to
speak. then we have q series OF the most
remarkable manifestations, occurring quite
regularly son ctimes. and due entirely to
a pervcrsOn Of the control Of the brain
over the pcrlphcral nerves. may say
in passing that my theory Of the identity
Of electricity and nerve forces is supported
to il certain extent by analogy. Icars
ago it was supposed that electricity and
magnetism were entirely different forces;
yet it was easily proved by in intelligent
cXpcrimcntalist that they were tne same
power generated in different ways.
But to come to the subject Of the Chi.
cago patient, continued the electrician.
at has been found in experiments with
the telephone that most curious audible
effects have been produced by the passage
Of Il reversed intermittent current Ot clcc-
tricity through the human body \ rhco-
tome or regulator of the current was
placed in circuit with the primary wires
Il an induction coil and the wire was con.
ncctrd with two strips of brass. One OF
these strips WAS held closely against the
ear and loud sound Proceeded from it
whenever the other stlip was touched
with the other hand. When two person,
receive shock from Ruhmkofl'S coil
uy clasping hands, each taking hold Of one
wire Of the colt with the free hand, Il
sound Is found toprOcecd from the cIaSped
hand. When the arm OF one person is
placed against the arm Of another under
these conditions the noise produced can be
heard several feet. More than this, Prof.
Bell has shown that when an Intermittent
current from Iiuhmkorti's s coil is passed
through the arms musical note can b.
perceived when the ear is cIOSe y applied
to the arm of tie person experimental up
ON. Mr.. Elisha Gray, an inventor Of
telephone, also produced audible effect,
by the passage Of electricity through the
human body.
"But, asked the reporter, chow do
these experiments co.ncide with the sounds
coming from human body at the will Of
the patrnt:'
"L"t me 90 on with the record of the
electrical experiments, and | will tell you
my thrOly afterwards, answered the Clct. |
tricim. I'm thi, Chicago ease it WAS said
that the patient, if remember rightly, |
sang soprano with her right heel and alto |
with lcr left. Now, it is found |
that an extremely loud musical note
is occasionrd by the spark Of Il
Ruhmkorii' coil when the primary circuit
is made and br ken with sufficient rapii.
ty. When two rhcotomes Of different
pitch are caused simultaneously to open
and close the primary circuit, II double
tone proceeds from thespark.
Nov for my theory. The rhcotome
and the rhcostat are used in experiment
ing with Gle, tricity to regulate or intermit
the electric current, and under these cOndi-
tionS musical tones may he made to pro-
cccd from amy part of the human body
when the poles Of the battery are applied
10 IL. NOW, USNhlllNg my lucuIN VI lut
identity of the electric and biologic forces
to be correct. you may have therhcotomc
and the lhcosiat in the interrupted state
of the biologic force. More than this, if
il subject bedridden, for a certain length
of time the tissues become tightly drawn
over the most prominent parts of the body
the Joints. knuclies, etc.-and so form Il
sort OF yibratory diaphragm that with the
slightest touch, especially of a highly
magnctized person, will, as indeed will all
cartiagcs ike those of the eyes, send forth
Il musical sound. The only point SO far
as | can see," continued the electrician,
lis to so improve upon this idiophonic
character of the human body us not only
to produce musical sounds, but, us III the
recent developments with the telephone,
to produce audible speech. have no
doubt that this will be done at some fu-
ture day, but before that time the identity
between the electrical and the nervous
torrn muSt he fully established "