68o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



sage. At the end of three minutes, the anaemia being kept up, 

 another tracing was taken, and the muscles contracted but nine 

 times, when prevented by fatigue from doing more. Massage has, 

 therefore, no effect upon muscles thus rendered so completely 

 ansemic in the way of increasing their capability for work. 



This experiment was made with a weight of one kilogramme 

 (2*2 pounds) and contractions every two seconds. It was found 

 that in a natural condition the middle finger could thus contract 

 two hundred and sixty-five times without any fatigue.* 



In comparing this last experiment with the preceding ones it 

 is found that the effect of massage consists essentially in re- 

 awakening the phenomena of the local circulation, in bringing to 

 the muscles a greater quantity of material necessary for their 

 contraction, and in removing the retrograde products of muscular 

 work. 



Resume. 1. Massage, when applied upon a muscle in a state 

 of repose, increases its resistance to work and modifies its fatigue 

 curve by retarding the manifestation thereof. 



2. The beneficial effect of massage is within certain limits in 

 proportion to the duration of its application. Beyond these limits 

 there is not obtained any further increase in the production of 

 mechanical work. 



3. Massage can hinder in muscles the accumulated effects of 

 fatigue proceeding from the effects of work when not sufficient 

 intervals of rest have been allowed. 



4. The various manoeuvers of massage act with different in- 

 tensity upon the aptitude of muscles for work. Percussion and 

 friction are inferior to petrissage and to mixed massage. 



5. In muscles weakened by fasting we can, by means of mas- 

 sage, notably ameliorate their resistance to work. 



6. Upon muscles fatigued or weakened by a cause which acts 

 upon the whole muscular system, such as prolonged walking, loss 

 of sleep, loss of food, excessive intellectual work, etc., massage 

 exerts a restorative influence which brings back to them their 

 power of doing a natural amount of work. 



7. The beneficial effects of massage upon the phenomena of 

 muscular work are no longer produced when it is applied upon a 

 muscle in which the circulation of blood has been suppressed. 



The potato, according to Mrs. Lily Grove, grows native in the islands of 

 Ohiloe, in the wildest districts, even at the top of the highest mountains. A 

 whole region is called after it, and it is often the sole food of the people. 



* In all these experiments the massage was done with the same energy by Prof. Mag- 

 giora's assistant, Dr. Grandis. The ergograph of Prof. Mosso was used to take the tracings 

 of the fatigue curves. 



