Burned by a battery-coin short circuit: old concept for a new burn.

The first known artefacts that may have served as batteries are the Baghdad Batteries (250 BC and 640 AD) and may have been used for electroplating gold [1]. The modern story of the battery started with the discovery of ‘‘animal electricity’’ by Luigi Galvani [2] and the Voltaic pile, invented by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta in 1800. Since then, batteries have become a common power source for many household and industrial applications. Disposable batteries are most commonly used in portable devices with either low current drain, only used intermittently, or used well away from an alternative power source. Lithium batteries are primary batteries that have lithium metal/compounds as an anode and can produce voltages from 1.5 to 3 V. They are expensive, but provide much longer life, and are therefore used for clocks and smoke alarms (Fig. 1). They can provide very high currents, but can also discharge very rapidly when short-circuited. This can potentially be dangerous as too rapid discharge can result in overheating of the battery, rupture or even explosion. This concept is illustrated in a case report. The hazards of transporting a disposable battery inappropriately are stressed.