iv ELECTROMOTIVE ACTION IN MUSCLE 361 



termed " secondary contraction," in which the leg of a frog- 

 twitches vigorously when its nerve is laid upon the muscle of 

 an excited second leg. In the same year Matteucci received 

 the prize for experimental physiology from a Committee of the 

 Academy, which included the older Bequerel, and the renowned 

 physicist concluded from the experiment, which was recognised 

 as valid on all sides, " that an electrical discharge must take 

 place in the muscle at the moment of contraction, and finds 

 its way in part through the nerves of the second frog." 

 Matteucci had previously observed that the secondary contrac- 

 tion was not obstructed by moist filter-paper, while on the other 

 hand it was stopped by gold plates or non-conductors, laid 

 between the nerve of the secondary preparation and the muscle 

 of the primary. These results are in complete agreement with 

 the theory as stated. Matteucci, on his side, was eager to find 

 new proofs of the presumptive development of electricity in 

 contraction compared directly by Bequerel with the stroke of 

 the torpedo. As early as 1845, a new publication appeared in 

 English on the " induced contraction," as it was now termed by 

 Matteucci. He had found its appearance to be independent of 

 the position of the secondary nerve on the muscle of the primary 

 preparation ; it may be laid parallel with the fibres, or across 

 them, or in any direction ; the secondary contraction invariably 

 follows. Matteucci cut a disc of muscle out of the leg with a 

 razor ; the secondary contraction never failed, provided the test- 

 ing nerve was in contact with the cut surface. He further 

 obtained twitches of the third and fourth order by placing the 

 nerve of a second test-preparation upon the gastrocnemius of the 

 first, the nerve of a third preparation on the muscle of the 

 second, and then exciting the primary nerve. With regard to 

 the presumably electrical nature of the secondary twitch, 

 Matteucci moistened the surface of the first muscle with different 

 conducting and non-conducting fluids, e.g. serum, blood, oil, and 

 dilute alcohol, varnish, oil of turpentine, etc., in which the 

 nerve of the second preparation was bedded. In none of these 

 did Matteucci find the twitch abolished, although this happened 

 with the thinnest plates of a firm body, e.g. glass, talc, etc, The 

 skin of the frog, like filter-paper, was favourable to secondary 

 contraction. These last observations misled Matteucci in regard 

 to the prevailing theory of the electrical origin of secondary 



