34 FUNCTIONAL INERTIA 



The cases I have investigated are those of applying 

 to the sciatic nerve of the frog's nerve-muscle 

 preparation the following constant stimuli, viz., 

 continuous pinching, dry sodium choride, allowing 

 it to dry ; and the following instantaneous stimuli, 

 the sudden abolition of anelectrotonus. and sudden 



FIG. 2. Upper line: record of tremor of frog's gastrocnemius muscle 

 when sciatic nerve was stimulated by application of dry sodium 

 chloride average periodicity 6 to 8 per second. Lower line: half- 

 seconds. 



heating of the nerve, all of which give rise to tremors 

 of the gastrocnemius of an average periodicity of 

 from 4 to 6 a second. The muscle itself responds 

 similarly if through it a constant current be made, 

 altered in strength (Wundt's tetanus) or broken, or if 

 it be immersed in Biedermann's fluid, i.e., it breaks 

 off into a tremor of from 4 to 6 a second periodicity. 

 Thus in the affectable neuro-muscular mechanism 

 we have a non-correspondence between stimulus 

 and response a constant stimulus giving rise to 

 rhythmic responses, an instantaneous or single 

 stimulus also giving rise to rhythmic responses of the 

 same periodicity ; the non-correspondence I take 

 to be due to inertia, and as the non-correspondence 

 is rhythmic or intermittent, I take the rhythmicality 



