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Description

The structure of the egg suggested to Davy the idea of its exerting electrical action. He describes the process of his experiment. Using a delicate galvanometer and a suitable apparatus, on plunging one wire into the white, and the other, insulated, except at the point of contact, into the yolk, he states that the needle is deflected to the extent of 5° ; and on changing the wires, the course of the needle is reversed. When the white and yolk are taken out of the shell, the yolk immersed in the white, the effects on trial are similar; but not so when the two are well-mixed.

Annotations in ink throughout.

Subject: Biology

Received 19 May 1859. Read 26 May 1859.

Written by Davy at Lesketh How, Ambleside [England].

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 10 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the electrical condition of the egg of the common fowl'.

Reference number
AP/42/6
Earliest possible date
17 May 1859
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
10 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Davy

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Citation

John Davy, Unpublished paper, 'On the electrical condition of the egg of the common fowl' by John Davy, 17 May 1859, AP/42/6, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_42_6/unpublished-paper-on-the-electrical-condition-of-the-egg-of-the-common-fowl-by-john-davy, accessed on 08 February 2025

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  • Archived Papers

    Dates: 1768-1989

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

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