CONTENTS. xi 



SECTION IV. 

 THE MUSCLE-NERVE PREPARATION AS A MACHINE. 



PAGE 



79. The influence of the nature and mode of application of the stimulus 

 on the magnitude of the contraction. Maximal and minimal 

 stimuli. Influence of abruptness and duration of stimulus. 

 Some parts of a nerve more irritable than others . . . 136 



80. Frequency of repetition necessary to produce tetanus ; pale and red 



muscles. The muscular sound 139 



81. The influence of the load; effect of resistance. The work done . 141 



82. The influence of the size and form of the muscle .... 142 



SECTION V. 



THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF IRRITABILITY 

 OF MUSCLES AND NERVES. 



83. Diminution and disappearance of irritability after severance from the 

 body. Effect of division of nerves ; degeneration of nerve fibres. 



Kegeneration 143 



84. The influence of temperature 145 



85. The influence of blood-supply 146 



86. The influence of functional activity. Exercise. Fatigue. The causes 



of exhaustion 148 



SECTION VI. 



THE ENERGY OF MUSCLE AND NERVE AND THE NATURE OF MUSCULAR 

 AND NERVOUS ACTION. 



87. Nature of the act of contraction and the act of relaxation. The 



relation of the energy of work to the energy of heat. The relation 



of nitrogenous metabolism to the energy of contraction . . 151 



88. The nature of a nervous impulse 154 



SECTION VII. 



ON SOME OTHER FORMS OF CONTRACTILE TISSUE. 



Plain, smooth or unstriated Muscular Tissue. 



89. Structure of plain muscular tissue ; characters of the fibre-cell . . 157 



90. Arrangement and termination of nerves in unstriated muscle . . 158 



91. The chemistry of unstriated muscle 159 



92. The characters of the contraction of unstriated muscle. Peristaltic 



contractions. 'Spontaneous' contractions. Tonic contractions 159 



