Читать книгу An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism - Giovanni Aldini - Страница 13

Flame prevents the action of the Leyden flask, as well as that of the pile, and also muscular contractions.

EXPERIMENT I.

I placed a lighted taper on an insulating stool; and having made the wire, proceeding from the interior coating of a charged Leyden flask, to pass through the flame, I found that, without forming an arc, it lost a portion of its electricity. If the experiment be repeated in such a manner that the flame makes a part of the arc between the two coatings, the flask is entirely discharged, without the arms of the person who forms part of the arc experiencing the least shock.

EXPERIMENT II.

I adapted to the summit of the pile a circular brass vessel, containing spirit of wine. By these means the pile was made to terminate in a strong flame, to which I applied a metallic conductor, while with the other hand I touched the bottom of the pile. The Galvanic fluid still withstood my efforts; and the case was the same when I substituted for the spirit of wine the flame of a common candle. It is proper here to remark, that the flame did not lessen the action of the Galvanism when the conductor, instead of being applied to the flame, was applied to the plate at the summit of the pile.

EXPERIMENT III.

I have already proved by a series of experiments, addressed to C. Lacepede, that flame made to form part of the arc applied to the nerves and muscles of a frog, prevents muscular contractions. I repeated the experiment, with the same result, on several warm-blooded animals. I observed that the flame interposed in the arc, which touched the back and belly of the torpedo, prevented the electric shocks.