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In order to ascertain how far this decomposition could be effected in the living body, the ingenious experimentalists selected a dog of rather large size, into whose bladder they introduced a fusible calculus attached to a sound, and between two conductors of platinum; the bladder was next distended by injecting tepid water, and the apparatus subjected to galvanic influence. After a little struggling, the animal became calm, and was subjected to the operation during an hour. On removing the sound, the calculus shewed unequivocal marks of decomposition. The same process was repeated, night and morning, during six days, when the friability of the calculus rendered it impossible to continue the experiment. It had lost weight in the same proportion as in the preceding trial. The bladder, which was afterwards examined, exhibited no appearance of injury or disease.^[210] The authors assert that this organ does not suffer any inconvenience from this more moderate degree of galvanic action, and suggest, as a proof of the mildness of its influence, that we should immerse the tongue in a vessel filled with water, in which a calculus is undergoing decomposition, and it will be found that the tongue, which is far more sensible than the bladder, will scarcely perceive the galvanic action, even when decomposition is going on briskly. The authors add, that this process cannot offer any advantage for the removal of those calculi which consist wholly of Uric acid, or which contain a large proportion of it.^[211]