ARTIFICIAL RHYTHM. 1B 
This artifcial rhythm may be obtained with a 
portion of irritable tissue of any size, and whether 
a large or small piece of the tissue employed be 
included between the electrodes. 
As the fact of this wonderfully rhythmic response 
to faradaic irritation was quite unexpected by me, 
and as it seemed to be a fact of great significance, 
I was led to investigate it in as many of its bearings 
as time permitted. First, I tried the effect on the 
rhythm of progressively intensifying the strength 
of the faradaic current. I found that with each 
increment of the current the rate of the rhythm 
was increased, and this up to the point at which 
the rhythm began to pass into tetanus due to sum- 
mation of the successive contractions. But between 
the slowest rhythm obtainable by minimal stimula- 
tion and the most rapid rhythm obtainable before 
the appearance of tetanus, there were numerous 
degrees of rate to be observed. I here append 
another tracing, to show the effect on the rate of 
the rhythm of alterations in the strength of the 
current (Fig. 26). 
It will also be observed from this tracing that, in 
consequence of the current having been strengthened 
slightly beyond the limit within which strictly 
rhythmic response was attainable, the curves in the 
middle part of the tracing, where the current was 
strengthened, are slightly irregular. This irregu- 
larity is, of course, due to the first appearance of 
tumultuous tetanus. If the faradaic stimulation 
had in this case been progressively made still 
stronger, the irregularity would have become still 
