ON MUSCULAR ACTION. 



97 



like manner, disturb the regularity of muscular ac- 

 tion, solely by previously disordering the brain ; and 



hence the unsteady 

 gait and faltering 

 elocution of a se- 

 mi-intoxicated per- 

 son are sometimes 

 removed in an in- 

 stant by some pow- 

 erful mental im- 

 pression being sud- 

 denly made, suffi- 

 cient to restore the 

 brain to its natural 

 state, and thereby 

 to give unity and 

 steadiness to the 

 nervous impulse 

 proceeding from it 

 to the muscles. 

 For the same rea- 

 son, although the 

 brain and muscles 

 be perfectly sound, 

 yet if the commu- 

 nication between 

 them be impaired 

 or destroyed by 

 the compression 

 or division of the 

 nerves, the mus- 

 cles cease to act. 

 The muscles of 

 the human body 

 are upwards of 400 

 in number, and 

 form several lay- 

 ers lying over each 



