ELECTRICITY AND LIFE. 169 



muscles and nerves have been the occasion, particularly in 

 Germany, of laborious investigations, with which are con- 

 nected the names of Du Bois-Reymond, Pfliiger, and Remak. 

 The doctrines of these learned physiologists, regarding the 

 molecular condition of the nerves in their various modes of 

 electrization, are still very much disputed. It must be 

 said that they are not supported by any experimental cer- 

 tainty, and perhaps the ideas developed by Matteucci sup- 

 ply better means for the general solution of these difficul- 

 ties. This eminent experimenter opposed to the German 

 theories about the electrotonic faculties of the nerves cer- 

 tain evident phenomena of electrolysis, that is, of chemical 

 decompositions effected by the currents. He supposed 

 that the modifications of excitement in the nerves, brought 

 about by the passage of electricity, depended on the acids 

 and the alkalies resulting from th'e separation of the salts 

 contained in animal tissues. To this first class of phenom- 

 ena may be added those electro-capillary currents lately 

 observed by Becquerel. Here must be sought the deeper 

 causes of that complicated and as yet obscure mechanism 

 of the strife between electricity and life. 



The effects of electricity on plants have been much less 

 studied, experiments made on this subject being neither 

 accurate nor numerous enough. We know that electricity 

 causes contractions in the various species of mimosa, par- 

 ticularly in the sensitive-plant, etc. Becquerel has stud- 

 ied its action on the germination and development of vege- 

 tables. Electricity decomposes the salts contained in the 

 seed, conveying the acid elements to the positive pole, 

 and the alkaline ones to the negative. Now, the former 

 injure vegetation, while the latter benefit it. Quite lately 

 the same experimenter has made a series of researches 

 upon the influence of electricity on vegetable colors. Em- 

 ploying strong discharges obtained from friction-machines, 

 he has noticed very remarkable alterations of color, usuallv 



