ELECTRICAL FISHES 167 



the resting organ (isolated by division of the nerve, the skin 

 having been removed) will be colourless or faintly pink, while 

 the excited organ varies from pale pink to peach blossom colour. 

 It must thus be taken as proven that " during the generation of 

 electricity within the electrical plates there are alterations of 

 metabolism which lead to the production of a small quantity of 

 acid substances." On the other hand, liohmann, like Marcuse, 

 finds no increase of the nitrogenous extractive, or substances 

 contained in the ether extract. Any participation of carbo- 

 hydrate (glycogen) in the generation of electricity seems excluded 

 by the fact that Marcuse finds neither glycogen nor any similar 

 carbohydrate in the electrical organ. 



" It is far more probable that a substance closely related to 

 the albuminous bodies is the source of electromotive energy, and 

 liberates it in the formation of acids which are soluble in ether " 

 (Eohmann). It is above all remarkable that, according to the 

 foregoing experiments, " the production of the electrical discharge 

 of Torpedo seems to occur with the consumption of a minimal 

 quantity of potential energy," which for the rest holds good 

 equally of muscular work, though not in the same degree. 



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