. Principles of the human mind, deduced from physical laws; . that so powerful a current hasbeen generated, that the needle completelyswings round the instant connection is madewith the galvanometer, I have only shownthis experiment upon one cell 5 but it must bemanifest to you, that, as every cell adds acertain amount of force, it simply requires anumber to make a battery as powerful as thatof an electric eel. The artificial electric eel THE VOLTAIC MECHANISM OF MAN. 57 I have myself constructed, in a vast varietyof ways, which I have not now time to con-sider. The muscular substance is ultim
. Principles of the human mind, deduced from physical laws; . that so powerful a current hasbeen generated, that the needle completelyswings round the instant connection is madewith the galvanometer, I have only shownthis experiment upon one cell 5 but it must bemanifest to you, that, as every cell adds acertain amount of force, it simply requires anumber to make a battery as powerful as thatof an electric eel. The artificial electric eel THE VOLTAIC MECHANISM OF MAN. 57 I have myself constructed, in a vast varietyof ways, which I have not now time to con-sider. The muscular substance is ultimately divis-ible into primitive fibrils, which consist of asheath, called the sarcolemma, containing inthe interior a peculiar matter, which, duringthe act of contraction, becomes wider andshorter; and this contraction is caused by achange of matter, produced by the voltaicforce carried through the motor nerves. I have here a strong piece of gut to imitatethe sarcolemma, and into the interior of this Ihave placed fluid and pieces of platinized sil- Fig. Artificial muscular substance 58 electro-biology; or, ver. Upon the outer side of this gut is placeda strong piece of amalgamated zinc, so thatthe moment connection is made between thezinc and silver, gas is evolved, which rendersthe bladder wider and shorter, and thus movesthis bar of wood over a space of three or fourfeet. (See fig. 6.) The conditions of the natural muscle andartificial muscle are perfectly analogical 5 bothpossess a power only limited by the strengthof the materials. In both cases, the poweracts over the short end of the lever, and there-fore at a mechanical disadvantage. In bothcases it is a great power moving over a smallspace. I, however, can move my natural mus-cles much quicker than I can my artificialmuscle 5 but you must please to rememberthat my organs are not competent to constructa machine having such fine tubes as we findin the ultimate muscular fibrils; and for wantof this delicacy of construc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectpsychology, bookyear1
