The many surprising effects of electricity, and the great cures performed by it, one would imagine, should awaken the attention of all philosophers and physicians; but as these cures have been effected by random experiments, every body has admired, but no body seems to have considered how, or by what means, they were performed. Whence
Notwithstanding all these surprising phænomena, from which many have entertained hopes of a great addition to the healing art; yet not one tolerable account has been given, how, or from what cause, these phænomena proceeded; except what has been done by Mr. Freke, surgeon to Bartholomew hospital; whose admirable piece shews the great penetration of its worthy author, with whom I shall join in thinking “it may possibly be the beginning of much good.”
One would think, this silence, on so interesting a subject, in this enlightened age, can proceed from nothing but a prejudice in favour of wrong principles of philosophy: That this is certainly the taste of the present age, M. Freke seems very well convinced; for, at the end of his pamphlet, he takes notice of a show-man, who, “having published some experiments in electricity, and hearing that Mr. Freke’s piece was publishing, own’d, he was much affrightened, because of the hard fate, as he said, of his booksellers; but, before he had read two pages, he likewise owned he had recovered his spirits, when he found Mr. Freke pretended to think for himself, and did not let Sr. Isaac Newton think for him.”
Now, if all persons would take the same freedom of thinking for themselves, as Mr. Freke has done, I doubt not but we should soon be as much ashamed of mentioning the attraction of gravitation, and the attraction of cohesion &c. as we now are of the occult qualities of the ancient philosophers; and should perhaps, then agree with him, when, speaking of electricity, he says, that “it is a subject which can, with more nobleness and dignity, employ the mind of man, than any he can think of, relating to the sublunary part of the world. For by it you may be acquainted with the immediate officer of God Almighty, which he seems to send to all things living: Nay, this power, (according to his conception,) seems to be the cause, under Him, both of life and death. And when it may be more fully understood, it may afford us means, whereby we may be better enabled to reason more intelligibly, than now we can, concerning various operations in nature.” Therefore,
In the following essay, I shall endeavour to shew,
I. How, and from whence, this electrical fire and force are produced; in doing of which I shall make some observations, in order to shew that we may form a more exact idea of most of the great operations of that complete machine, the universe, from electrical experiments, than can be attained by any other means: I shall also produce some experiments which demonstrate, that the terraqueous globe has no attraction; nor a solid body, falling towards the earth, any gravitation; after which, I shall bring other experiments to prove what is the cause of solidity, and by what means bodies gravitate towards the earth.
II. How this electrical fire and force act upon the animal frame, and in what disorders they are likely to be of benefit, and in what not.
I. We are certain, that this electrical fire is produced, either from the glass globe, or the air that surrounds it. As to the glass globe, Mr. Freke has fully proved it cannot proceed from that; “Because nothing, we know of, can send out of it a quantity of matter, but there must be less of that matter remaining, after it has been so discharged; whereas it cannot be shewn, but that the glass globe, after ever so many times using, remains as fit for the same use, as at first.” From hence we assert, that this fire must proceed from the surrounding air being acted upon by the glass globe; and our inquiry must be, how, and by what means, fire is produced by the glass globe being made to act upon the air by which inquiry we shall find, that air, light, and fire are of the same substance, or essence; only differently modified, and appointed for performing different actions: that air (by being divided or broke to pieces) produces light; and, if that action is still encreased, it produces fire. Now as the greatest friction or attrition are necessary to produce fire, so fire, when it is once produced, having received the greatest force, of consequence acts with the greatest force; and light, with a less; so, wherever there is the greatest quantity of these small particles of air, (which we call by the name of fire) in proportion to what we call gross air, there the action must be the greatest; by which means the said fire or light will expand itself, ’till, by mixing with what we call gross air, it becomes of an uniformity with it. Now therefore, as experiments are the sure way either of proving or disproving any hypothesis; so, to illustrate this, I shall produce some experiments both from Mr. Freke, and other authors of unblemished credit, which prove that air is convertible into light and fire, and also that light and fire are convertible back again into air; and likewise, as some parts of the air are present in all places and things, that therefore, whenever a violent action either of solids or fluids is brought on, there light, fire, or heat, are produced.