Nathaniel Lister1 to Faraday   9 November 1833

Dr Lister observing in the new No. of the Philosophical Magazine that Mr Faraday not been able to find certain references to the experiments respecting the spark from the Gymnotus Electricus2, is happy to be able to communicate them to him, having formerly met with them in medical works.

The experiments of Fahlberg are referred to by Professor Tiedemann3 in his Physiologie des Menschen4, as having been published in the Swedish Transactions for 18015 and translated into German, in Gehlens Journal Vol 14. p. 456. [also in Gilberts Annalen Vol 14. p.416]6.

Professor Tiedemann likewise refers to Guisan7 as having made similar observations to those of Fahlberg, in a work [De Gymnoto Electrico published at Tubingen in 18198; and he further states that Gardini9 [De Electrici ignis Natura <sect>71, published at Mantua 1792]10 observed an Electric spark from the Torpedo.

The experiment with the Gymnotus is also mentioned in Cavallo's11 Natural Philosophy vol iii, p. 45912.

Lincolns Inn Fields | Nov 9th 1833


Address: M. Faraday Esq | Royal Institution | Albermarle Street

1
Nathaniel Lister. Physician of 8 Lincoln's Inn Fields. POD.
2
Faraday (1833e), ERE3, 358.
3
Friedrich Tiedemann (1781-1861, DSB). German physiologist.
4
Tiedemann (1831), 567-74.
5
Fahlberg (1801).
6
Fahlberg (1803). Square brackets in text.
7
Friedrich Ludwig Guisan. A student at Tübingen, otherwise unidentified.
8
Guisan (1819).
9
Giuseppe Francesco Gardini (1740-1816, P1). Professor of Physics in Piedmont.
10
Gardini (1792). Square brackets in text.
11
Tiberius Cavallo (1749-1809, DSB). Natural philosopher.
12
Cavallo (1803), 3: 459.

Bibliography

CAVALLO, Tiberius (1803): The Elements of Natural or Experimental Philosophy, 4 volumes, London.

FAHLBERG, Samuel (1801): “Beskrifning öfver electriske Ålen (Gymnotus electricus)”, Konig. Sven. Veten. Acad. Hand., 22: 122-56.

FAHLBERG, Samuel (1803): “Beschreibung eines electrischen Aals aus Surinam”, Gilb. Ann., 14: 416-22.

FARADAY, Michael (1833a): “Experimental Researches in Electricity. - Third Series. Identity of Electricities derived from different sources. Relation by measure of common and voltaic Electricity”, Phil. Trans., 123: 23-54.

FARADAY, Michael (1833e): “Experimental Researches in Electricity. - Third Series”, Phil. Mag., 3: 353-63.

GARDINI, Giuseppe Francesco (1792): De electrici ignis natura dissertatio, Mantua.

GUISAN, Friedrich Ludwig (1819): De gymnoto electrico, Tübingen.

TIEDEMANN, Friedrich (1831): Traité complet de Physiologie de l'Homme, Paris.

Please cite as “Faraday0689,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday0689