518 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



higher than when it is dry, and as the anabolic process — the 

 building up of complex organic paraplasm. 



A further point in this theory remains to be mentioned, 

 namely, that the excitation of a gland cell tends towards the 

 temporary increase, not of the process for the time being in 

 the ascendant, but rather of the process in abeyance, so that 

 if the activity is at the moment of excitation predominantly 

 katabolic, the immediate result will be a higher development 

 of the anabolic process and vice versa. 



The points gained by experiment upon which the above 

 theory is based are as follows as regards the " Current of 

 Rest " :— 



By abstraction of heat it is possible to completely reverse 

 the normal " current of rest " from ingoing to outgoing, and 

 consequently at a certain temperature it is possible to have 

 a currentless gland, the raising of the temperature of which 

 produces an ingoing, lowering an outgoing current. As is 

 well known no such phenomenon is observable with the 

 " demarcation current " of muscle. 



Imbibition of water by the cells leads to increase, extrac- 

 tion of water to decrease or reversal of the "current of 

 rest . 



Narcotics, as carbonic acid or vapour of ether or chloro- 

 form, also reduce or reverse the " current of rest ". 



Pilocarpine and often continued moderate nerve excita- 

 tion tend to increase the " current of rest ". 



The "current of rest" undergoes marked "spontaneous" 

 variations (a fact which has been noted by many previous 

 observers). 



As regards the " Current of Action " : — 



The direction of the "current of action" is dependent 

 upon two factors, the extent to which the normal ingoing 

 "current of rest" is developed, and the strength of the 

 stimulus. With well-developed normal ingoing " current 

 of rest," and especially when the stimulus is strong, the 

 rule is outgoing "action current". With ill-developed 

 normal "rest current," and weak stimulus, the rule is in- 

 going "action current". Thus by artificially reducing the 

 "current of rest" by water abstraction, it may be possible 



