234 



niYSIOLOGY OF MUSCLES AND NERVES. 



fore become quite inoperative, or less operative than 

 the inner. This injurious influence must be yet more 

 strongly developed on the cross-section, where a layer 

 of crushed, that is, dead muscle-substance, overlies 

 the parts which yet remain operative. Owing to all 

 these circumstances, a coating of inoperative but con- 

 ducting substance envelopes the operative muscle- 

 elements, and the distribution of the tensions on the 

 regular muscle-prism is fully explained. And when 

 such a muscle-prism is divided, the conditions always 

 remain unaltered. Each part of a muscle-prism must 

 act as would the whole. 



Fig. G-i. Diagram of an oblique cross-sectiox. 



Oar hypothesis is therefore quite able to explain 

 the electric phenomena of a regular muscle-prism. 

 We must now see how it stands in relation to the other 

 facts which we have learned. If the artificial cross- 

 section is made obliquely to the axis of the muscle- 

 fibres, as in a regular or irregular muscle-rhombus, then 

 our assumed muscle-elements, at the cross-section, will 

 be arranged one over the other like steps, and are 

 clothed by a* layer of crushed, and therefore inopera- 

 tive tissue, as is represented in fig. 64. On such a 

 cross-section it is evident that separate currents must 

 circulate from the positive longitudinal section to 

 the negative cross-section of each individual muscle- 

 element, and these combine with the current circu- 



