References.—Phil. Mag., Vol. XXII. pp. 153, 179, 188; XXIII. p. 257; XXIV. p. 183; XXVII. p. 82; XXVIII. p. 306; Sir Humphry Davy’s allusion to above, as well as his earlier experiments communicated to Dr. Beddoes, Sir James Hall, Mr. Clayfield and others, in “Bakerian Lectures,” London, 1840, pp. 2, 3; Sylvester, at A.D. 1806, and Donovan, at A.D. 1812; Lardner’s “Lectures on Science and Art,” Vol. I. p. 350; Faraday’s “Experimental Researches,” No. 314; J. F. Macaire, Ann. Ch. et Phys., XVII. 1821; Marni “Sulla formazione ...”; G. B. Polcastro, “Giorn. Ital. Letter del Dal Rio,” X. p. 182, 1805; Cioni and Petrini, Phil. Mag., XXIV. 167, 1806; The Paris Galvani Society, Phil. Mag., XXIV. p. 172, and Ann. de Ch., Vol. LVI, 1806; A. B. Hortentz, Phil. Mag., Vol. XXIV. p. 91, 1806; Leop. de Buch, Phil. Mag., Vol. XXIV. p. 244, 1806; Veau Delaunay, Phil. Mag., XXVII. p. 260, 1807; G. Innocenti, Nuova Scelta d’ Opuscoli, II. p. 96, 1807; P. Alemanni, Phil. Mag., Vol. XXVII. p. 339, 1807; C. H. Pfaff, Phil. Mag., XXVII. p. 338, and XXIX. p. 19; Ann. de Chim., Vols. LX. p. 314; LXII. p. 23, 1807–8; Wm. Henry, Phil. Mag., Vols. XXII. p. 183; XL. p. 337, 1805–1812; F. G. Pacchiani, in Nuova Scelta d’ Opuscoli, I. p. 277; Brugnatelli, An. di Chimica, Vol. XXII. pp. 125, 134 and 144; Edin. Med. and Surg. Journal, of July 1, 1805; Phil. Mag., Vol. XXIV. p. 176, for his letter to Fabbroni. For Dr. Wm. Henry, consult “Bibl. Britan.,” Vol. XV, An. VIII. pp. 35, 293; Phil. Mag., Vols. VII for 1830, p. 228; XXII. p. 183; XXXII. p. 277, and XL. p. 337; Phil. Trans., Part II for 1808.
A.D. 1806.—On Oct. 16, Mr. Wm. Skrimshire, Jr., addresses from Wisbech a letter to Mr. Cuthbertson on the absorption of electric light by different bodies.
In this letter, which is given in full at pp. 281–283 of the fifteenth volume of Nicholson’s Journal, he says he was led to his experiments by the well-known fact that when the electric current is passed through a lump of sugar it makes the latter appear luminous. He tried many calcareous species, chalk, Kelton stone, the phosphate, nitrate, sulphates of lime, etc. etc., and he details some of the results obtained, the most interesting being that given by the sulphuret of lime, commonly called Canton’s phosphorus, which, he says, is, by the electric explosion, rendered the most luminous of all the substances tried.
A.D. 1806.—Heidmann (J. A.), physician at Vienna, publishes his “Theorie der Galvanischen Electricität ...” or “Theory of Galvanic Electricity deduced from Actual Experimentation” (London, 1807). This had been preceded by other important electrical reviews at Vienna during the years 1799, 1803 and 1804.
As stated by Guyton de Morveau, Heidmann has given us in the above the complete history of galvanic electricity—including the experiments and observations of Aldini, Arnim, Biot, Boeckman, Carminati, Cavallo, Creve, Davy, Fontana, Fowler, Gilbert, Haldane, Hallé, Helebrandt, Humboldt, Nicholson, Pepys, Pfaff, Reil, Reinhold, Ritter, Valli, Vassalli-Eandi, etc. etc.—together with the description of the construction and the relation of all parts of the galvanic pile, which is called by him a galvanic battery. Heidmann also gives an account of his many interesting experiments with frogs placed in different liquids as well as with the galvanic chain, and he reviews all the known phenomena presented by the voltaic pile.
References.—“Annales de Chimie,” Vol. LXI. p. 70; Phil. Mag., Vol. XXVIII. p. 97.
A.D. 1806.—Dr. Joseph Baronio of Milan constructs a galvanic pile composed exclusively of vegetable substances. He makes his discs, two inches in diameter, of beet roots (bietola rossa) and of walnut wood (legno di noce), the latter having been freed from all of its resinous substance by treatment in a solution of vinegar and cream of tartar. Through this pile, he produced convulsions in a frog by excitation with a leaf of cochlearia (spoon wort or scurvy-grass).
References.—“Annales de Chimie,” Vol. LVII. pp. 64–67; Vol. LXII. p. 212; Phil. Mag., Vol. XXIII. p. 283; “Nota di Brugnatelli sopra una pila di sostanze vegetabili,” Pavia, 1805 (“Am. di Chim. di Brugnatelli,” Vol. XXII. p. 301); Volta, in Giorn. Fis. Med., Vol. II. p. 122.
A.D. 1806.—Sylvester (Charles), the author of the articles on “Galvanism and Voltaism” in Rees’ “Encyclopædia,” announces that he obtains muriatic acid from pure water by passing through it the galvanic current. Mr. Wollaston, however, asserts this cannot be done unless the current traverses some vegetable or animal substance containing that acid.
His first paper on the subject appeared in Nicholson’s Journal, 1806, Vol. XIV. pp. 94–98; in Gehlen’s Journ. der Chemie, Vol. II for 1806, pp. 152–153, and in Gilbert’s Annalen der Physik, Vol. XXV. pp. 107–112, 454–457. The paper following is entitled “Repetition of the Experiment in which Acids and Alkalies are Produced in Pure Water by Galvanism (no animal or vegetable matter, nor oxidable metal being present).”