In the article about electrocution, Cecil writes:
It struck me as a surprisingly large amount of power. Three minutes at 10,000 W is enough to raise the temperature of an average person by about 6 degrees C, if I calculated that correctly. The heat alone would kill you!
So does this seem accurate, or did he mean a 2000-volt supply capable of supplying 5 amps? How much actual current can you expect with that voltage?
This site lists the internal resistance of the human body as varying from 100 to 500 ohms. The resistance of wet skin is given as 1000 ohms; dry skin has resistance 500 kiloohms.
Cecil says the electrodes are connected to shaven head and leg. The current has two paths it could follow: through the body (encountering a resistance of 100 to 500 ohms), or along the surface of the skin (encountering a resistance of up to 500 kiloohms). The bulk of the current will take the path of least resistance and travel through the body. The magnitude of this current can be anywhere from 4 amps to 20 amps. A meagre 4 milliamps would flow along the surface of dry skin; 2 amps would flow along the surface of wet skin.
I suppose a convict sentenced to electrocution would be advised to stay calm and avoid sweating, if he wanted to maintain his complexion after the execution.
I was always under the impression (now corrected by Cecil) that an electric chair worked because the electrode at the top of the head and the calf worked because electricity passed through the heart and disrupted its independent pacemaker, throwing the rhythm out of whack and causing it after a short time to stop.