226 



Thompson 



Group A, showing the effects of Excitation of the left Anterior Crural and 

 Sciatic Nerves, the blood supply of the limb being unaltered. 



In the table, two columns are given, the first showing the actual per- 

 centacfB of creatine in the moist muscle on the two sides, the resting and 

 the excited. The second column gives the percentages when the water is 

 reduced to the same proportion, namely, 75 per cent, on both sides. It is 

 only from these latter figures that any safe conclusion can be drawn con- 

 cernino- the eflfect of the excitation. On examining the figures it will be 

 seen that there is either practically no change in the quantity of creatine 

 in the muscles of the two sides, or that the difference is so small as to 

 lie within the errors of the method. The o-reatest difi"erence is shown 

 in Experiment 3, where the creatine of the left side is -0153 per cent, 

 higher than on the right — that is to say, an increase of 2 J per cent., 

 which cannot be said to be outside the limits of error. 



The conclusion, then, is that with intact circulation prolonged activity 

 does not alter the proportion of creatine in voluntary muscles. It will be 

 seen, also, that the effect on the content of water is negligible. 



Control experiments, in which all the operative procedures (including 

 division of the nerves on the left side) were the same but without 

 excitation, bear out this conclusion. 



Control Experiments to Group A, in which the Left Anterior Crural and Sciatic Xerves 

 were divided but not excited, the blood supply of the limb being unaltered. 



