LIVING TOBPEDOS IN BERLIN. 521 



directly afterwards entirely absent ; the resistance in either direction 

 was as follows : 



On the following day, seventy-six hours after death, with evident 

 decomposition, no difference of homodromous and heterodromous 

 conduction could be any longer perceived, and I found in two 

 preparations 



w w = *> fc . = 1-0826 = 0-8553. 



Thus in the latter case, the resistance was less than that of physio- 

 logical salt-solution, and even of the boiled preparation. 



It may be asked, whence may the considerable variations in the 

 heterodromous resistance of the organ arise ? It is probable that the 

 largest numbers found for it are the most accurate, and the small- 

 ness of the other values depends upon a double cause. First, it is 

 undoubtedly injurious to the functional activity of the columns, that 

 they are squeezed by drawing them into the resistance -tube. 

 Secondly, it is certain that, in doing this, some if not all of the 

 plates must lie more or less obliquely in the tube, and hence the 

 heterodromous resistance, which is connected with the perpendicular 

 direction of the current in regard to the plates, is necessarily 

 lowered. 



It would have been desirable to determine the conductivity of 

 other tissues of the Torpedo also, especially of its muscles. But, in 

 the first place, I have not hitherto found in the Torpedo any 

 muscle which is available in any measure as a regular muscle, 

 comparable to certain thigh muscles of the frog, the sartorius of 

 the dog, and others. Secondly, at the commencement of the experi- 

 ments, I had to turn my attention to more important questions in 

 the case of each fish, and in the few cases, when I intended to 

 experiment upon the muscles, I found them already more or less 

 functionally inactive, and indeed with an acid reaction to some 

 extent. This is likewise the reason, why I am still unable to say 

 anything about the electromotive force of the muscles of the 

 Torpedo. 



12. The conduction of the electrical organ when investigated 

 by means of constant currents. 



As regards the electrical organ, it seems impossible to doubt any 

 longer, according to the above, that it conducts irreciprocally. If 

 there is no such conduction, we are compelled to attribute to the 



