266 NERVOUS SYSTEM. LECT. XIV. XV. 



pile, with acid or saline solutions, the deviation of the 

 needle not only did not increase, but rapidly diminished. 



These facts, on which I have dwelt at some length, would 

 appear at first sight favourable to the idea, that contractions 

 by induction are the effect of an electric discharge which 

 accompanies the act of muscular contraction; nevertheless, 

 I did not venture to affirm, from the outset, that the ques- 

 tion was completely solved. 



Moreover, the phenomenon of induced contraction, has 

 always appeared to me as being of very great importance ; 

 and I could not therefore, resist entering into a complete 

 investigation of it. I have latterly studied it with all pos- 

 sible attention, and I believe, with some success. I hope, 

 on account of the interest which this subject presents, you 

 will excuse the minuteness with which I shall detail to you 

 my numerous experiments. 



Before proceeding to new researches on the fundamental 

 fact of induced contraction, I wished to re-examine and vary 

 the experiments of which I have already given a sketch, 

 and which I had made with the view of discovering whether 

 electricity was developed during the contraction of a muscle. 

 It was necessary, therefore, to operate with piles formed of 

 a greater number of elements than those which I had pre- 

 viously employed, in order to obtain a constant and a 

 greater deviation ; consequently, I believed that a muscular 

 pile was more suitable than one of frogs. 



The Muscular more Energetic than the Proper Current. 

 Since my recent experiments, there can no longer be a 

 doubt, that with an equal number of elements, taken from 

 the same frogs, the muscular current is more energetic than 

 the proper current. I have lately shown that when by 

 defective nutrition, by the effect of a very low temperature, 

 or by the action of sulphuretted hydrogen, the muscular 

 and proper currents are weakened in the frog, the diminu- 



