Human Electricity: The Means Of Its Development, Illustrated By Experiments

Human Electricity: The Means Of Its Development, Illustrated By Experiments by John Obadiah N. Rutter presents a popular science survey of electricity, its relation to life, and the historical development of electro-physiology. The author guides lay readers from elementary electrical concepts to the chief discoveries in animal electricity, galvanism, and electro-magnetism, tracing how experiments with the human body illuminate the laws of electricity that pervade nature. Interleaved with historical sketches of Galvani, Volta, and Oersted, the book introduces practical instruments such as the galvanoscope and magnetoscope and explains how currents arising in muscles and nerves can be detected and studied. It covers the influence of temperature, moisture, climate, and environment on electrical phenomena and health, and discusses magnetism, dia-magnetism, the terrestrial magnetic field, and their parallels with electric currents. With appendices on key scientists and related phenomena, the volume ends by considering health, disease, ozone, ventilation, and the broader implications of electricity as a universal agent for daily life and wellbeing.