695 



there is every reason to believe that the result is altogether different. 

 In this case, it appears as if the secondary or induced current must 

 involve, not the intensification, but the discharge of the muscular 

 current in all the muscle which enters into the circuit of the second- 

 ary current. For what is the peculiarity of the secondary current ? 

 It is a current of momentary duration, disappearing almost in the 

 very instant of its appearing, and carrying along with it in its dis- 

 charge any electricity it may meet with in its circuit. Hence there 

 is no difficulty in understanding why the galvanometer should afford 

 evidence of abatement of the muscular current at the moment when 

 the nerves are concerned in producing muscular contraction. Nor 

 is there any difficulty in understanding how contraction should be 

 brought about by this action of the nerves, if, as there has seemed 

 some reason to believe, muscular contraction is antagonized by the 

 presence of the muscular and nerve- currents. 



The author proceeds, in the next place, to consider the pheno- 

 mena which attend upon the action of the ordinary galvanic current 

 upon the muscular current. In this part it is pointed out that there 

 is the same broad line to be drawn between the effects of the 

 primary galvanic current and of the secondary currents which spring 

 into existence when the inducing or primary current is suspended 

 or renewed, and by keeping this distinction in mind it is shown that 

 an intelligible physical reason may be obtained for the differences of 

 the "direct" and "inverse" currents for "voltaic alternatives," 

 and so on. The argument is complicated and not easily reducible 

 to a few words; it requires, moreover, certain diagrams which 

 cannot be iised in this abstract, and therefore we will only say that 

 the conclusion to which it leads, is that there must be a distinct an- 

 nihilation of the muscular current during muscular contraction when 

 the muscle contracts under the galvanic current, and that the con- 

 traction is seen to be most marked when this annihilation is most 

 complete. 



" Reflecting upon these facts and considerations," the author 

 continues, "there appears to be nothing in the history of ordinary mus- 

 cular contraction which does not harmonize with the electrical history 

 of rigor mortis. If the muscular current be present, rigor mortis is 

 absent, and in this case it seems as if the state of muscular contrac- 

 tion is antagonized by the muscular current. In ordinary muscular 



