Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-28

4 leleSrapnlC ulSpatcneS week OF
so ago were full of the discovery By
Or. j. C. Slebcl. y physician OF Chf-
cogo. on the electric power of the
human body.
| d.. Siebel made his announcement
before the American Association for
the Advancement OF science that he
| had discovered method OF genera
ting energy in the human body. lie
asserted that electricity stored in the
human body can be released and
| made 10 do work. This work. he
| said. is the proclamation OF life
through the additional vitality sup,
piled to the human body working a.
It's own electrical generator,
DR.. Siebel announced that nutritive
elements, such rs alcohol, sugar and
fats. during their consumption by
the human body. act as generators
of electricity in the miniature bat
teries that comprise the muscular
structure OF tho human frame. lie
declared that he has succeeded il
the construction OF batteries on a
working scale in which the nutritivc
element necessary to form the con
nection between tire batteries and
the system has beer created.
This medical discovery. interest
ing as 1t is. comes as Il curious cor
ollary upon the Investigations in this
city OF Andrew Mcconnell. who main
toins that the human body Is itself
n voltaic battery.
The principle OF the voltaic battery
is an acid and all alkaline substance
like and copper. which when brought
together in moist state will pro-
dnce chemical change which gen.
crates n current of electricity.
This principle was discovered by
Volta In 1890. He found that two
piles of acid and allllne metals
would produce twice the current OF
one pile; that hundred cell battery
would double one of fifty cells. Up
TO this time the only way to produce
electricity was by friction. which was
neither continuous nor of sufficient
power to use for any practical pur-
pose. The voltnire battery furnished
continuous current and Davy. WITH
one of 1000 cells. invented the cleo
trio light. This started the myriad
and wonderful uses OF electricity thnt
have revolutionized mode Il life.
"The human body" says Mr.. Nc
Connell. is also a voltaic battery"
Prof Aldlni. nephew of Galvani.
first suggested the fact that tho in
side Innings of the body. the mucous
membranes. are alkaline in substance
and that the skin exudes an acid.
The body being three-fourths water
has the necessary moisture to keep
up the chemical changes between
these acids and allsalles. The body.
on this theory is thus a voltaic bat
terry, continually producing electric
ity.
Aldini proved this by touching one
leg of frog to the alkaline tongue
and the other to the acid palm, which
Mainly showed the presence of an
electrical current. Matteucci of the
University of Plza. showed that an
electrical current can be measured
by the galvanometer connected with
the alkaline tongue and the perspir-
ing forehead or put In contact with
the acid liver and the alkaline STAN
ach. Aldini took the heads OF COWS
from the slaughter house and with
wires connected the alkaline tongues
with the acid parts. and. connecting
|he several heads. made regular
electric battery, producing a strong
electric current.
The brain Is covered with the acil
producing membrane and lined with
the mucuous membrane. producing
alkali, and so the brain itself is II
voltaic battery.
There are some 800. motor muscles
in the body. Every muscle in the
body Is covered with membrane
secreting an ac.d and the inside
membrane secroting an aikali. The
muscles have the necessary mois-
.ue There every muscle and even
every minute muscle-stran is vol
tale battery producing electricity for
their own use.
Matteucci made an animal battery
of the hind quarters Of frogs by, con :
| meeting the outside acid portion OF
one muscle to the inside alkaline
portion of anotner Two pilesNpro-
duced double the current of one pile,
just as the metal piles of the voltaic
battery.
A battery made of frog quarters
produced n current OF electricity that
| DETECTED the needle of the galvano-
meter % per cent. A battery of the
same number of pigeon legs pro-
duced a DETECTION Of Ia per cent
The same size battery of rabbit leg
muscles produced current of pei
cent. Matteucci further tested this
principle with all other animal life
| In rannh and Iararnd hnrand :. dnu hi