The most convincing proof of the conversion of heat into living force [is viva] has been derived from my experiments with the electromagnetic engine, a machine composed of magnets and bars of iron set in motion by an electrical battery. I have proved by actual experiment that, in exact proportion to the force with which this machine works, heat is abstracted from the electrical battery. You see, therefore, that living force may be converted into heat, and that heat may be converted into living force, or its equivalent attraction through space.

The Scientific Papers of James Prescott Joule - Volume 1