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Thomas Blunt medical cylinder
electrostatic machine
(London, circa 1805)
This is a simple but elegant cylinder electrostatic generator designed and made by Thomas Blunt. It has two insulated main terminals - one holds the charge combs, and the other the friction cushion (missing). The cylinder will remove vitreous (positive) electricity from the friction cushion, and carry it over to the charge combs. In this way the comb terminal will become positively charged, and the cushion terminal will become negatively charged. If one of the terminals is grounded, the other will accumulate charge much more efficiently. Thus, this machine can provide either positive or negative electricity. Positive charge was thought to be a stimulant, and negative a sedative (much in the same way as negative-ion generators are considered soothing today). There is a Lane discharging electrometer on the near side of the machine, seen end-on and from above; this would be used in the same way as the electrometer on the Adams machine. |
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