388 Royal Society .— 



phosphorus, a given weight of the platinum salt, 0'547 grm., was 

 oxidized with nitric acid, and gave 0*458 grm. of sulphate of baryta 

 = 11 per cent, of sulphur, and 0'266 of pyrophosphate of magnesia 

 = 6 # 01 per cent, of phosphorus. I also ascertained the presence of 

 these two substances by heating a certain quantity of the platinum 

 salt with strong caustic ley, when a liquid, volatile and inflammable 

 alkaloid was obtained, whilst the sulphur* and phosphorus remained 

 combined with the alkali and were easily detected. I satisfied myself 

 during these researches, which have lasted more than twelve months, 

 that no sulphuretted nor phosphuretted hydrogen was given off ; and 

 my researches, as far as they have proceeded, tend to prove that the 

 noxious vapours given off during putrefaction, contain the N, S, and 

 Ph of the animal substance, and that these elements are not liberated 

 in the simple form of ammonia, and sulphuretted and phosphuretted 

 hydrogen. I also remarked during this investigation, that, as putre- 

 faction proceeds, different volatile bodies are given off. 



Before concluding, I may add, that when the platinum salts are 

 heated in small test-tubes, they give off vapours, some acid and 

 some alkaline, possessing a most obnoxious and sickening odour, 

 very like the odours of putrefaction ; and that at the same time a 

 white crystalline sublimate, which is not chloride of ammonium, is 

 formed. 



March 1, 1860. — Sir Benjamin C. Brodie, Bart., President, in the 



Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



" On the Electrical Phenomena which accompany Muscular Con- 

 traction." By Professor C. Matteucci. 



Dr. Radcliffe has recently communicated to the Royal Society 

 some observations on the nature of the electrical phenomena accom- 

 panying muscular contraction. It is known that M. du Bois-Rey- 

 mond admits that the muscular current diminishes during contrac- 

 tion, and that he attributes the phenomena indicated by the galva- 

 nometer to the momentary predominance of currents due to the 

 polarization of the electrodes of platinum over the muscular current. 

 In my last memoir on Electro-physiology, which was communicated 

 to the Royal Society and appeared in the Philosophical Transactions 

 for 1856, I proved that these phenomena take place independently 

 of the existence of secondary currents of the electrodes, and I hence 

 concluded, at least as regards the muscles pf frogs, that during con- 

 traction there is a current, or rather an instantaneous electrical 

 discharge, which takes a contrary direction to that of the relaxed 

 gastrocnemius y and in general to that of the current which is found 

 on applying the extremities of the galvanometer to the extremities 

 of the limbs of a frog. 



In order to avoid the influence of secondary polarity, M. du Bois- 

 Reymond, and after him several other German physiologists, have 



* Some of the platinum salt was treated with C S 2 , which did not remove any 

 free S, and the beautiful orange-yellow colour of the precipitate showed the 

 absence of sulphuret of platinum. 



