1895.J Muscular Movements by certain new Instruments. 479 



(3.) Thab the velocity of the finger-movements is not appreciably 

 affected by manual training. The most rapid single contraction of 

 the fingers of a trained pianist is very slightly, or not all, faster than 

 that of a working man. 



(4.) The velocity of movements of flexion is on the average 

 slightly greater than that of movements of extension, although in 

 two of the eight cases examined the velocities were identical. 



(5.) The velocity of the finger-movements, as a whole, is greater 

 than that of the pen-movements. 



In examining the more complicated movements of writing it was 

 found : 



(1.) That the average velocity is practically the same in musicians 

 and in those of average education, their training in this regard being 

 nearly equal. 



(2.) That the velocity in the untrained working- classes is much 

 less than in the two former. 



(3.) That the velocity in all classes is much less than in the pen- 

 movements. 



(4.) That the curved parts of letters and figures are more slowly 

 formed than the rectilinear parts, and that the velocity of a curve 

 varies, roughly speaking, with the radius of curvature. 



The difference, then, between education and the want of it is 

 greatest in writing, less in pen -movements, and scarcely noticeable 

 in the simple finger-movement. And the average velocity for all 

 classes is least in writing, much greater in pen-movements, and 

 greatest in finger-movements. The velocity therefore diminishes, 

 and the difference between the various classes increases as the move- 

 ments become more complex. The more nearly they approach to a 

 simple muscular contraction, the less is the difference noticeable; 

 though it would, doubtless, be found that the musician is able to 

 repeat a series of simple muscular contractions much more rapidly 

 than one with untrained fingers. 



The influence of age upon the velocity of the movements was next 

 investigated, and it was found, with regard to writing : 



(1.) That the velocity of the movements of writing becomes slower 

 with advancing age. 



(2.) That it is greatest between the ages of 20 and 29, and decreases 

 with every decade thereafter. 



(3.) That this decrease is greater in the uneducated than the 

 educated. 



With regard to pen-movements it was found : 



(1.) That the decrease in velocity is less marked than in the case 

 of writing. 



(2.) That the velocity is greatest between the ages of 20 and 29. 



(3.) That the difference in the rate of decrease between the 



