THE ELECTRICAL SPASM OF DEATH 



205 



the distal contact, which had not had time to pass off. The 

 test-responses to uniform mechanical stimulation which 

 were being taken meanwhile show a continuous diminution 

 towards the death-point. When this, however, had been 

 passed, the response is seen to be reversed in direction to 

 positive. As has been said before, this positive response also 

 disappears after a time. We thus obtain a very striking 

 demonstration of the fact that the reversal of the electrical 

 curve and the reversal of the sign of response are concomitant. 



It may be mentioned here, in anticipation of a future 

 chapter, that the death-point may also be obtained by the 

 sudden inversion of the curve of electrical resistivity, and 

 that the value obtained in this way coincides with those 

 already given. 



I give below a table showing the death-points deter- 

 mined by various methods : 



TABLE SHOWING DEATH-POINTS OBTAINED BY DIFFERENT METHODS 



It is thus seen that employing different methods and 

 using plant-organs which are equally diverse flowers, bulbs, 

 petioles, and others a death-point is determined which 



