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piece of glass, on the upper part of which is cemented a brass socket D, furnished
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with a spring tube E; the wire F moves in this tube, so that the ball G may be set
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at a convenient distance from the ball H. The end I of the bent piece of glass is
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also furnished with a spring tube, which slides upon the wire K, communicating
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with the inside of the bottle. / To use this bottle, place the ball H in contact with
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the conductor, or connect them together by a wire, and then charge it in the usual
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manner. Now, if a wire proceeds from the ball L to the outside coating, the bottle
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will be discharged whenever the fluid has acquired sufficient force to pass
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through the space of air between the two balls; consequently the shock is stronger
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in proportion as the distance between the two balls is increased. / It is obvious,
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that when the electrometer is thus connected, it acts in the same manner as a
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common discharging rod, and forms the communication from the outside to the
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inside of the bottle; with this difference only, that the distance of the end which is
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to communicate with the inside may be limited and regulated. The shock may be
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given to any part of the human body by introducing that part of the body into the
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circuit which is made between the outside und inside of the bottle. This is
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conveniently effected, by connecting one director by a piece of wire with the
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electrometer, and the other to the outside of the bottle; then hold the directors by
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their glass handles, and apply the balls of them to the extremity of the parts
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through which the shocks are to be passed.“
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Die Entwicklung dieser Einrichtung als Elektrometer geht auf Timothy Lane
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zurück, vgl. ErxH, 565,16 – 21 und VNat 4, 294,1 – 3 und die zugehörige Anm. –
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Ein ähnlich funktionierendes Instrument befindet sich in der Historischen
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Sammlung des I. Physikalischen Instituts (Inv.-Nr. H72). Vermutlich handelt es
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sich dabei um ein zwischen dem 1. Juli 1850