RENDERING RESISTANT STARFISH EGGS NORMAL. 34! 



he rendered normally responsive i- thus analogous to that hy 

 which the responsiveness of muscle and nerve to stimulation 

 may he increased. An irresponsive condition in living muscle 



and nerve may he due to aiuc-the-ia. fatigue, electrotonus, toxic 

 act inn, or other changes of state. The stimulating action of 

 -in, ill doses ot" alcohol 1 and other narcotics during fatigue -ug- 

 ts an analogy which i- prohahly not without -igniticancc. It 

 is known that traces of various lipoid-solvent >uh-tance- very 

 .> iH-rallv increase irritahility. or the rate of spontaneous activity, 



in thcmo-t various cells and tissues leucocytes, cilia, the heart, 



eli The incrca-cd re-pi. Il-i\ ein -- nf the al'\e egg-- after 



etlier treatment is a phenomenon ,,f the -ame general kind. It 

 \\oiild appear that the condition of the lipoid- in cell- detcrmine- 

 llie readme-- of response or tin- raU' of ^pontaiicoii- acti\iiy; 

 and that -light impregnation of the lipoid- in the niemhrane with 

 .1 lipoid--ol\ent tat ilitatc- :n thi- -trm ture the alteration which 

 londition- tin- pcrmcahiliu -im i ml jiolari/ation-chairge of 



stimulation. 



Certain -alt- markedly incn a-e the irritahility of mn-( K and 



IHT\ e., induce sensitization. 3 Treatment with sail -olution- 



max al-o re-tore taiigiicd mu-i le- to an irritahle condition. 

 Frog's -kelctal inii-t lr- immer-ed in i-otonic -odium chloride 

 -olntioii and made to contract hy successive electrical -timuli 

 until irre-]ion-i\ c iiromitl\- recover irriiahilily if immer-ed in 

 i-oioiiir -odium hromide, nitrate or iodide -ohilion-. Sodium 

 iodide re-tore- irritahility to inu-i le- \\hich ha\e heen fatigued 

 in -odium hromide or nitrati- -olntioii-, hut chloride ha- im -uch 

 action; ;. ,.. the order of the -alt- cannot he reversed. The 

 re-torati\e eltect is rapid, and evidently depend- t>n a >lli ! 

 action, the colloids ot the nicmhraiie heing ap|iareiitl\- hroiight 

 into a condition la\orahle for -timulation -ajiparently a condi- 

 tion of iiuTea-ed di>per-ioii. ; A- alread\ ile-crihed, sodium 

 chloride -ohition ma\- produce an analogous increase of iv-pon- 



1 Tin- .i>ti,.n i if ^inall (iu;uuitir< . ,1' alo -h. >1 in o>uiUi-i.i. ting fatigue in excised 

 frog inn 11 \\vll .-Imun ]>\ I ' and S.ilant. A>n<r. J.<:ir. 1'iiy /.:'., i 



.I. s. |>. l>i. 



131 . 

 s Cf. iM..tM<>i.- i . p.m>- ,uS . 



Sv.-li\\aiv. Aril;;: >nr die gftaninili l'< . :<>logie, 1907, \'ul. 117. p. l6l. 



