256:, who had studied with Hunter, presented a paper "Experiments and observations on the Gymnotus Electricus, or electric eel" at the Royal Society. He reported a series of experiments, such as "7. In order to discover whether the eel killed those fish by an emission of the same fluid with which he affected my hand when I had touched him, I put my hand into the water, at some distance from the eel; another cat-fish was thrown into the water; the eel swam up to it ... gave it a shock, by which it instantly turned up its belly, and continued motionless; at that very instant I felt such a sensation in the joints of my fingers as in experiment 4." and "12. Instead of putting my hand into the water, at a distance from the eel, as in the last experiment, I touched its tail, so as not to offend it, while my assistant touched its head more roughly; we both received a severe shock."
242:
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67:
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363:. For a span of four months, he measured the electrical impulses produced by the animal by pressing shaped copper paddles and saddles against the specimen. Through this method, he determined and quantified the direction and magnitude of electric current, and proved that the animal's impulses were electrical by observing sparks and deflections on a
430:'s diagram of the setup for his "Experimental Researches in Electricity" on the electric eel, 1838. The fish is in a circular wooden tub in shallow water. He noted that the strongest shock was obtained when both hands or a pair of copper paddles were placed in the water, at positions 1 and 8, i.e. by the head and tail of the fish.
343:
joined a group of indigenous people who went fishing with horses, some thirty of which they chased into the water. The pounding of the horses' hooves, he noted, drove the electric eels, up to five feet (1.5 metres) long, out of the mud and prompted them to attack, rising out of the water and using
178:
that "Gymnotus
Electricus ... appears very much like an eel ... but it has none of the specific properties of that fish." He observed that there were "two pair of these organs, a larger and a smaller ; one being placed on each side", and that they occupied "perhaps ... more than one-third of the
402:
516:
was able to swim backwards at the same speed and with the same dexterity around obstacles as when it swam forwards, avoiding collisions. He demonstrated in 1950 that the fish was producing a variable electric field, and that the fish reacted to any change in the electric field around
436:
241:
209:
292:
344:
their electricity to shock the horses. He saw two horses stunned by the shocks and then drowned. The electric eels, having given many shocks, "now require long rest and plenty of nourishment to replace the loss of
396:") to enable him to catch the fish without being shocked, to the surprise of the local people. He published his research on the fish, including his discovery of what is now called Sachs' organ, in 1877.
644:
de Asúa, Miguel (9 April 2008). "The
Experiments of Ramón M. Termeyer SJ on the Electric Eel in the River Plate Region (c. 1760) and other Early Accounts of Electrophorus electricus".
187:, and cross divisions between them." He measured the electrocytes as 1/17 of an inch thick (1.5 mm) in the main organ, and 1/56 of an inch thick (0.5 mm) in Hunter's organ.
367:. He observed the electric eel increasing the shock by coiling about its prey, the prey fish "representing a diameter" across the coil. He likened the quantity of
227:
193:
819:
323:
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pain. They would use only smaller fish, as a large fish may generate an electric shock from 300 to 400 volts. The
Egyptians depicted the fish in their
914:
782:
445:'s illustration of his discovery of Sachs's organ (shown in black at 6) in the electric eel, with electric discharge patterns (4, 5, 8), 1877
179:
whole animal ". He described the structure of the organs (stacks of electrocytes) as "extremely simple and regular, consisting of two parts;
247:
Dissection, showing the electric organs inside the body. At right, the skin is folded back to reveal the main organ above Hunter's organ.
580:
817:
Alexander, Mauro (1969). "The role of the voltaic pile in the
Galvani-Volta controversy concerning animal vs. metallic electricity".
126:
among other classical authors. They did not always distinguish between the marine torpedo ray and the freshwater electric catfish.
1287:
617:
Howes, George J. (1985). "The phylogenetic relationships of the electric catfish family
Malapteruridae (Teleostei: Siluroidei)".
686:"A Correction to the Record of Early Electrophysiology Research on the 250th Anniversary of a Historic Expedition to Île de Ré"
538:
Kellaway, Peter (July 1946). "The Part Played by
Electric Fish in the Early History of Bioelectricity and Electrotherapy".
1310:
456:
98:
and elsewhere; the first known depiction of an electric catfish is on a slate palette of the predynastic
Egyptian ruler
1190:
Murray, R. W. (March 1962). "The response of the ampullae of
Lorenzini of elasmobranchs to electrical stimulation".
1072:
375:
of fifteen jars, containing 3500 square inches of glass coated on both sides, charged to its highest degree"
153:
1280:
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1315:
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power they have suffered", "swam timidly to the bank of the pond", and were easily caught using small
66:
1243:
773:
505:
465:
1331:
991:
387:
858:
386:, to study the electric eel; he took with him a galvanometer and electrodes to measure the fish's
162:
conducted early experiments on the numbing discharges of electric eels in the 1760s. In 1775, the
742:
VanderVeer, Joseph B. (6 July 2011). "Hugh
Williamson: Physician, Patriot, and Founding Father".
595:
1273:
888:
874:
409:
340:
167:
44:
994:[Observations and research on the South American electric eel (Gymnotus electricus)].
1339:
716:
483:
200:
171:
878:
1154:
1063:
956:
470:
383:
8:
685:
490:. The electroreceptive function of these organs was established by R. W. Murray in 1960.
1158:
960:
570:
412:'s 1800 experience of hunting electric eels using a herd of horses, as told in his 1859
1037:
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The studies by
Williamson, Walsh, and Hunter appear to have influenced the thinking of
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992:"Beobachtungen und versuche am südamerikanischen zitteraale (Gymnotus electricus)"
1402:
905:
769:
427:
368:
356:
253:
123:
40:
885:
Alexander von Humboldt's Journey in the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent
880:
Alexander von Humboldt's Reise in die Aequinoctial-Gegenden des neuen Continents
720:
1028:
832:
95:
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extensively tested the electrical properties of an electric eel imported from
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584:. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 512–515.
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90:. The Egyptians reputedly used the electric shock from them when treating
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32:
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379:
372:
1076:. 2006 209: 200-201, doi: 10.1242/jeb.10.1242/jeb.02012 (2): 200–201.
1225:
Franz, Viktor (1921). "Zur mikroscopischen Anatomie der Mormyriden".
1167:
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Electrodes touch a frog, and the legs twitch into the upward position
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115:
91:
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In 1678, while doing dissections of sharks, the Italian physician
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The science of common things: a familiar explanation of the first
501:, again without knowledge of their function as electroreceptors.
349:
103:
75:
1265:
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discovered electroreception in 1950 through his observations of
569:
99:
215:
Hunter's "Gymnotus Electricus", underside and upperside, 1775.
140:
The naturalists Bertrand Bajon, a French military surgeon in
1011:"The third form electric organ discharge of electric eels"
910:"Experimental Researches in Electricity, Fifteenth Series"
729:
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
493:
In 1921, the German anatomist Viktor Franz described the
1227:
Zoologisch Jahrbuch Abteilung für Anatomie und Ontogonie
170:; both fish were dissected by the surgeon and anatomist
1248:
Continuous Electrical Signals from the Tail of a Fish,
414:
Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent
317:
Late 1780s diagram of Galvani's experiment on frog legs
820:
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
1141:"Electrical sensitivity of the ampullae of Lorenzini"
1009:
Xu, Jun; Cui, Xiang; Zhang, Huiyuan (18 March 2021).
869:
867:
252:
Also in 1775, the American physician and politician
217:
The figure occupied four pages of his paper for the
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915:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
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783:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
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382:was sent to Latin America by the physiologist
371:released by the fish to "the electricity of a
235:C=Back muscles, H=main organ, I=Hunter's organ
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703:
482:discovered organs on their heads, now called
305:("On the electric powers in muscle movement")
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526:
391:
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887:] (in German). Vol. 1. Stuttgart:
744:Journal of the American Medical Association
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646:Journal of the History of the Neurosciences
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303:De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari
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39:were investigated by scientists including
31:In the 18th century, the abilities of the
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504:In 1949, the Ukrainian-British zoologist
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688:. HAL open-access archive. hal-03423498
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774:"Experiments and observations on the
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497:(tuberous organs) in the skin of the
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24:, where the shocks delivered by the
1311:Electroreception and electrogenesis
1192:The Journal of Experimental Biology
1110:Osservazioni intorno alle torpedini
540:Bulletin of the History of Medicine
488:Osservazioni intorno alle torpedini
457:Electroreception and electrogenesis
450:
13:
996:Archives of Anatomy and Physiology
684:Edwards, Paul (10 November 2021).
203:dissected an electric eel in 1775.
166:(the electric ray) was studied by
86:of the Nile was well known to the
14:
1468:
1295:
1112:. Florence, Italy: Per l'Onofri.
568:Boulenger, George Albert (1911).
1260:, 167, 4240 (1951), pp. 201–202.
1139:Murray, R. W. (September 1960).
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1073:Journal of Experimental Biology
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486:. He published his findings in
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114:Electric fishes were known to
1:
1083:10.1242/jeb.10.1242/jeb.02012
1068:"A new sense for muddy water"
520:
70:Electric catfish (centre) in
259:
7:
390:, and used rubber gloves ("
10:
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1371:(S. American knifefishes)
1316:Jamming avoidance response
1029:10.1038/s41598-021-85715-3
619:Journal of Natural History
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1426:History of bioelectricity
1418:
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658:10.1080/09647040601070325
631:10.1080/00222938500770031
596:"Malapterurus electricus"
18:history of bioelectricity
889:J. G. Cotta'scher Verlag
833:10.1093/jhmas/xxiv.2.140
598:. ScotsCat. 3 April 2013
388:electric organ discharge
875:von Humboldt, Alexander
581:Encyclopædia Britannica
408:Artist's impression of
110:Ancient Greece and Rome
28:were used medicinally.
1118:10.5962/bhl.title.6883
929:10.1098/rstl.1839.0002
796:10.1098/rstl.1775.0011
475:
410:Alexander von Humboldt
393:Kautschuck-Handschuhen
392:
341:Alexander von Humboldt
174:. Hunter informed the
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1340:Ampullae of Lorenzini
1064:Alexander, R. McNeill
756:10.1001/jama.2011.933
484:ampullae of Lorenzini
464:
455:Further information:
378:The German zoologist
355:In 1839, the chemist
134:Further information:
69:
55:Further information:
51:Fish that give shocks
1399:(electric catfishes)
1250:Gymnarchus Niloticus
1204:10.1242/jeb.39.1.119
990:Sachs, Carl (1877).
512:Gymnarchus niloticus
510:African knife fish (
471:Gymnarchus niloticus
384:Emil du Bois-Reymond
301:'s laboratory, from
1365:(African knifefish)
1159:1960Natur.187..957M
998:(in German): 66–95.
961:1879Natur..19..453V
943:Veitch, J. (1879).
891:. pp. 404–406.
776:Gymnotus electricus
723:Gymnotus electricus
721:"An account of the
183:flat partitions or
1106:Lorenzini, Stefano
1016:Scientific Reports
853:David Ames Wells,
778:, or electric eel"
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335:Nineteenth century
278:– the founders of
130:Eighteenth century
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1457:Electrophysiology
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120:Theophrastus
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201:John Hunter
172:John Hunter
152: [
33:torpedo ray
1391:Rajiformes
1385:Mormyridae
1304:Physiology
1198:: 119–28.
521:References
443:Carl Sachs
380:Carl Sachs
352:on ropes.
168:John Walsh
45:John Walsh
1233:: 91–148.
977:244639967
804:186211272
625:: 37–67.
339:In 1800,
266:Galvanism
260:Galvanism
164:"torpedo"
116:Aristotle
92:arthritic
1451:Category
1393:(skates)
1212:14477490
1177:13727039
1108:(1678).
1092:16391343
1066:(2006).
1047:33737620
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908:(1839).
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859:page 290
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666:18421634
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552:20277440
361:Suriname
350:harpoons
346:galvanic
144:and the
35:and the
1419:Related
1325:Anatomy
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1155:Bibcode
1126:2900213
1038:7973543
957:Bibcode
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158:in the
104:3100 BC
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1356:Groups
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102:about
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692:6 May
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185:septa
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1208:PMID
1173:PMID
1122:OCLC
1088:PMID
1043:PMID
837:PMID
825:XXIV
694:2022
662:PMID
604:2017
548:PMID
282:and
274:and
181:viz.
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1200:doi
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