102 OF VITAL MOTION. 



brought in contact with the wires of a pair of galvanic 

 plates. 



This arrangement being completed, the wires of the 

 battery were applied to the nerve, and the muscles 

 made to contract ; and having done this, the pin was 

 placed so as to keep the balance-arm attached to the 

 tendon at the depressed position to which it had been 

 brought by the contraction. 



The arm of the balance connected with the tendon 

 being in the position to which it had been brought by 

 the contraction, a small weight was added to the empty 

 scale which depended from the other arm, and the wires 

 again applied to the nerve. At this time, however, the 

 muscle gave no evidence of contraction. The pin was 

 then removed, and the galvanic current renewed : and 

 on this occasion the beam was seen to ascend, and the 

 muscle to exhibit signs of action after it had attained 

 to a certain degree of extension. At the former state 

 of contraction, therefore, M. Schwann concludes that 

 the muscle was not able to move the weight, and that 

 it did not acquire this power until it had become 

 extended and relaxed to a certain degree. He notices, 

 however, that the contractions which took place under 

 these circumstances did not depress the beam as much 

 as before. 



The experimenter then fixed the balance-arm in the 

 position to which it was brought in this second phase 



