German composition

Section 21 An Apparently Insignificant Fact⁠ Often⁠ Leads to Great Results12

When Galvani⁠3 discovered that a frog’s leg⁠4 twitched when placed in contact with different metals, it⁠5 could scarcely have been imagined that so apparently insignificant a fact would ever lead (App. § 17) to important results. Yet therein lay the germ of⁠6 the Electric Telegraph, which⁠7 binds the intelligence of continents together, and probably before many years elapse will⁠8 “put⁠9 a girdle round the globe.”—S. Smiles.

Notes

1 Thatsache, f.

2 See S. 5, N. 2, and place the adverb after the verb; ‘result’, Resultat, n.

3 Luigi Galvani, italienischer Anatom, entdeckte 1780 den Galvanismus. ‘When — discovered’, say ‘When Galvani made the discovery’.

4 ‘leg’, here Schenkel, m.; to twitch, in Zuckungen geraten; when placed = when (S. 18, N. 6) the same was (S. 2, N. 1) brought.

5 it — imagined, hätte man sich kaum vorstellen können; ‘that so apparently... a’, daß eine scheinbar so.

6 zum.

7 which — together, welcher die Geister der Kontinente mit einander verbindet; before — elapse = in a few years.

8 See App. § 16.

9 to put a girdle round the globe, einen Gürtel rings um die Erde ziehen. ‘Rings um die Erde zieh’ ich einen Gürtel in viermal zehn Minuten.’ Puck, Sommernachtstraum.