Observations upon lightning, and the method of securing buildings from its effects. In a letter to Sir Charles Frederick, &c. &c. &c / by B. Wilson ... and others.

  • Benjamin Wilson
Date:
1773
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations upon lightning, and the method of securing buildings from its effects. In a letter to Sir Charles Frederick, &c. &c. &c / by B. Wilson ... and others. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    43/88 (page 29)
    . t 9 ] . melted by the paflage of the fluid through it, but too fmall to convey it with eafe, very violent eifeils are produced on fuch bodies as are in contadl: with it, or placed near it; for fuch bodies will be torn to pieces, burnt, or otherwife violently adted upon. I 111 all here quote from Dr. Prieftley fome experi¬ ments which he mentions on this occafion, relative to what he calls, the lateral force of eleBric explo^ fonsf which force was, I believe, firfl; difcovered by you, and publiflied in your Treatife on Electri¬ city, in the year I750.’f* Tciq effeSs of this lateral explofion he thus defcribes: I laid a green leaf upon the palm of my hand, intending to make the ex- plofion pafs over the leaf; but the leaf was burfi and torn to pieces^ and the exploflon pafling over my hand, gave it a violent jar^ the effeCls of ‘‘ which remained in a kind of tingling for fome time. “ Laftly, in order to judge the molt perfectly of this force, I laid a chain, communicating with^ the outfide of the battery, upon my naked arm above the wrift, and bringing the difcharging rod near the flefli, within about two inches and a half of the chain, I made the explofion pafs over “ that quantity of the furface of the fkin.’’ The effects of this explofion were, the hairs upon the fkin were all fingedy and curled up along^ the whole path of the explofion^ and for the fpace of about an inch on each fde of italfo the papillae ^ pyramidales^ of the Ikin were raifed' as when a- Prieftley’s Hift, Elec, addit. p. 44.- 4; Vide p. 89, and the Plate IIL fig. 9^-