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E L E e T n e T Y.
in lO Ih~ ~'ounl! lO carry off Ihe IVmr, are nev~r hun by
liglllning, as IVhenCl'~I' it t'"lIs on luch a bni!oing, il pal.
fes in Ihe mmls dnd nOI ill Ihe \Valh.
When olller bllildings harpen 10 be lVithin the IIri ·
king dilldnce from fu chclouds, theRuid p.'¡T~s inIhe lValls,
whethcr of wood, bnck or 1I0ne, quilllng the walls only
",hen il " n find beuer conduélors near Ihem, as metal
rods , bohs, and hinges of IVlnOOW! or donrs, gilding on
wainfcO!, or frames of piélures; Ihe filveriogon the hacks
of looking.gIaITes; Ihe lVires for bells; alld the bodies of
animals, as cOnlaining wmy Huids. And in palling thro'
the houfe il follows the direélion of thefe cooduélors, ta·
king as many in ils lVay as can aflill il in ils palf'age, whe·
ther in a llrail or crooked lioe, leaping from one 10 the
olher, if not far dillant from each other, only rending
Ihe lVall in the fpaces where Ihefe panidl good conduc·
tors are tOO dillant from e~ch olher.
An iron rod being placed on Ihe oUlfide of a building,
fromIhe highell pan continued dOlVn imo Ihemoill emh,
in any direélion nrait or erooked, follolVing the form of
Ihe roof or olher pans 01 the building, will receive Ihe
lighloing at ils upper end, attraéling il fo as 10 prevent ils
fl rikiogaoy other par! ; and, alTording il agood convey·
ance inlothe emh, will prevenl ils damaging any pan of
lhe building.
A fmal! quamil y of mml is found able to conduél a
greal quantity of Ihis fluid. A wire no bigger Ihan a
goofe quil! has been known 10 conduél (wilh fafelY to
the builuing as as tbe wire was conlinued) a quantity
of ligh lning that did prodigiou! damage bOlh above and
belowil ; and probably larger rods are nOI necelTary, tho'
it is common to make them of half aninch, fome of Ihree
c¡uamr!, or an inchdiameler.
T he rod may be fallened to the wall, chimney, &c.
with Ihplcs of iron.-The lightning lVil! 001 leave Ihe
rod (a goo<! eonduélor) to paf! lotO the wal! (a bad con·
duélol) Ihrough Ihofefiapl~s.-It \Vould "'Iher, if any
were io Ihe lVall, paf! OUI of il inlo Ihe roo 10 gel mOl.
readily by Iha! conduélor inlo Ihe eanh.
If Ihe bUlldiog be very large anu eXlenfive, IWO or
more rods may be plaecd al diffcrenl pans, for grmer
fecurilY·
Small ragged pans of clouds fufpended in Ihe air be–
tween Ihe ~I(al body oCcluuds Ihe tarlh (hke leaf·
gold in eleélrical rxperimenls), oflen fme as pardal con·
dutlors for th. hghtroillg, whlch proeeeds from one of
them 10 anolher, alld by Iheir htlp comes wilhin Ihe IIri·
king diUanceto Iheeanh or abuilding. Il therefore IIrikes
through Ihofe condullors abUilding Ibat would olherwile
be OUI of the U"kin~ d,nanee.
Long {harp poinls commuDlcaling wilh Ihe eanh, and
prelentd lO fuch pms of clouds, orawing lilcntly from
Ihcm Ih~ RUló Ihey are chJr~eJ Wilh, Ih~y are Ihen at
traéled tu Ihe doud, and may leare Ibe dlU,oce fo grcat
as tO be beyond th. reaeh of Ilnking.
1 l is Iherelore Ih tt we e1erate Ihe uppu end of Ihe red
fix '" eig l feel abol'e Ihe hl&hc1t p'" of Ihe building, lA·
pel\~g tt grarlually lO l 6ne pOIOI, whtch 15 S,h 10
p,elenl ;IS rultillg.
Thul Ihe poinl~J rol eilher prevenls a IIrok fro:n Ibe
clou1 , oro if a (lro~e is mJd~, conuutls it 10 Ihe eartb
wuh Mtly to Ihe building.
The lower end of rpe rod Otould enler Ihe earth fo
deel) as 10 conte al Ihe moill pan, perhaps I\VO or Ihree
fee!; and ir bent \Vhen under Ihefurface fo as to go in a
horilonlal hne fix or eighl fm from Ihe wall, and Iheo
b:nl again downwards Ihree 01 four fect, il will prmnt
damag. 10 any of Ihe (Iones of Ihe foundarion.
A perfon apprehenfive of danger from lighlning, hap.
pening during Ihe lime of Ihunder 10 be in a houf. nOI lo
lecured, will do well 10 avoid fining nm Ihe ehimney,
near a looking-~Iafs, or any gill piélur~ or w¡infcol; Ihe
fafdlplace is in Ihe middle of I~e room, (fo il be nOI under
a mel"lluUre fufpended by a chain), fitting inone cluir
and laying Ihe feel up in another. It is fiill fafmo bring
two or Ihree m.mlf'<s or bcds inlo thc middle of Ihe
room, ano folding Iltem up double, place Ihe ch~ir upon
thcm i for Ihey nOI being IDgood cOI.dutlors as Ihe \Vall!,
Ihe ligh,ning wllI nOI chufe an inlerrupledeoulfe Ihrough
Ihe ¡ir of Ihe room and Ihe beoding, when il cango Ihro'
a eonlinued beuercondutlor, Ihe lVall. BUI where il can
behad, ahamoek or fWlnging bed, furpended by lilk eordl
equally difl anl from Ihe w.lls on m ry lide, and from Ihe
eieling and Ooor ahove and bdow, afrords Ibe fafel! fima·
lioo a perfon eao have in ny room whalever ; and whal
indeed may be deemed quile free from danger of any
flroke by lighloing. .
In order 10 feeure Olips from funaining damage by
lighlning, a copper road, abo\lt Ihe Ihicknefs of a gtlOfe
quill. fhould be conncéled lVilh Ihe fpindles and iron work
of Ihe mafls eominued down 10 Ihe deek, and froOl
Ihence, in the mon cooveoient direélion, lill Ihe end oC
Ihe rod be in conl,,(\ wilh the fea·water.
Wilh regord lO powder-mills and magazines, Ihe ap·
pamus 10 conduél the lighlning from Ihem{hould be
del3ched from Ihe buildings Ih.mfdvcs, and eonveyed
10 the nearell water.
o¡ Mrdicnl EldlricilJ·
T HE 6rfl.ppliealion of r.ltélricilY 10 Ihe cure 01' dif·
eafes was made by M. ,lallabcn, profelfor of philofophy
al Genev~, on a loekfmilh whofe righl arm had been pa·
ralytic 6fleen ye3l5. He was broughl 10111. Jall.bert on
Ihe 261h of Decembu 1747, and \Y'S compl atly cured
by Ihe , 8,h of February 1748. In Ihis inlerval he \YI'
frequently eleélnlicd, fparks beinr. lahn flom_Ihe 31m,
and fomelimes Ihe eletllicallhoek f,nl Ihrough It
The repon of tlllS cure al Geneva, engaged Mr Sau·
"g~! (lf Iheacodcmy In Monlpehcr lO an,ml" Ihe eOle
01 p.raly,ics, '" IVhlCh he 1",1 .:or.fiuerabl. fueec(s.
In Ih~ ym 1717, tIlr Patnek Brydon, in a ~ew da s,
perfolmed aeomrlcal ellre of ahemiplegiJ, and In eed an
almQIl univctfal pmlYlic ¡lidlton of IWO ycan conu·
nuance.
Dr Hu , Dr \Vilrnn,!r Low, ir \VeOey, and
man, olhers. reldIC a r,un.ber of c.fes wherein Ihe pally
was euha cured or mnigOlld bv detlriellY·. u
Dr \ dlfon eured .0 unlverfal lel.ous, In Ihe )'
1 62, by elcc1l\fpng Ihe p.mnt, al prop", IUICruls, for
three months. Dr