CHAP. Ji.] THE CONTRACTILE TISSUES. 95 



though they have lost their irritability, have not yet advanced into 

 rigor mortis. At such a juncture a renewal of the blood-stream 

 may restore the irritability of those fibres which were not yet rigid, 

 and thus appear to do away with rigor mortis ; yet it appears that 

 in such cases the fibres which have actually become rigid never 

 regain their irritability, but undergo degeneration. 



Mere loss of irritability, even though complete, if stopping short 

 of the actual coagulation of the muscle-substance, may be with 

 care removed. Thus if a stream of blood be sent artificially 

 through the vessels of a separated (mammalian) muscle, the irrita- 

 bility may be maintained for a very considerable time. On stopping 

 the artificial circulation, the irritability diminishes and in time 

 entirely disappears ; if however the stream be at once resumed, 

 the irritability will be recovered. By regulating the flow, the 

 irritability may be lowered and (up to a certain limit) raised at 

 pleasure. From the epoch however of interference with the nor- 

 mal blood-stream there is a gradual diminution in the responses 

 to stimuli, and ultimately the muscle loses all its irritability and 

 becomes rigid, however well the artificial circulation be kept up. 

 This failure is probably in great part due to the blood sent through 

 the tissue not being in a perfectly normal condition ; but we have 

 at present very little information on this point. Indeed with 

 respect to the quality of blood thus essential to the maintenance 

 or restoration of irritability, our knowledge is definite with regard 

 to one factor only, viz. the oxygen. If blood deprived of its oxygen 

 be sent through a muscle removed from the body, irritability, so 

 far from being maintained, seems rather to have its disappearance 

 hastened. In fact, if venous blood continues to be driven through 

 a muscle, the irritability of the muscle is lost even more rapidly 

 than in the entire absence of blood. It would seem that venous 

 blood is more injurious than none at all. If exhaustion be not 

 carried too far, the muscle may however be revived by a proper 

 supply of oxygenated blood. 



The influence of blood-supply cannot be so satisfactorily studied 

 in the case of nerves as in the case of muscles ; there can however 

 be little doubt that the effects are analogous. 



The Influence of Functional Activity. 



This too is more easily studied in the case of muscles than of 

 nerves. 



When a muscle within the body is unused, it wastes ; when 

 used it (within certain limits) grows. Both these facts shew that 

 the nutrition of a muscle is favourably affected by its functional 

 activity. Part of this may be an indirect effect of the increased 

 blood-supply which occurs when a muscle contracts. When a 

 nerve going to a muscle is stimulated, the blood-vessels of the 

 muscle dilate. Hence at the time of the contraction more blood 



