PHYSIOLOGY. 427 



2548. The business of the bone, is to play an anti- 

 thetic part to the nerve, and nothing else, or to serve the 

 latter as a " terra firma," upon which it may execute its 

 plans. The bone suffers, and in this consists its office. 

 The other offices of the bone, such as its being the firm 

 and solid frame-work of the body, its protecting the 

 nervous mass, &c., are subordinate matters, which are 

 at once clearly understood. 



3. Function of the Fibrous-tissue. 



2549. There is the active motion. The primary 

 motion is, however, a result of the polar tension induced in 

 the aether by the light. Just as the heat has been produced 

 in the aether by the light-polarity, so has been the animal 

 motion in the fibres by the polarity of the nerves. 



2550. Every fibre, when it is in motion, has neces- 

 sarily two polar extremities. Tor the fibre stands 

 between the artery which is oxygenous, and the nerve 

 which is basic, or between a zinc and silver pole. 



2551. In the conditions of rest the two poles must be 

 neutralized, or, generally speaking, not in existence. 

 This is only possible by disjunction of the galvanic 

 circuit or chain. 



2552. Since the artery is constantly operating upon 

 the fibre, but the nerve only, when it has been stimulated ; 

 so must this change in the condition of the fibre reside 

 in the change of the nervous influence. 



2553. In unirritated conditions the nerve does not act 

 upon the fibre ; the latter is not illuminated, nor does it 

 stand in a state of tension with the nerve, which is not in 

 itself polar, but is only, when stimulated, a sun towards the 

 fibre, or polar within itself. If the chain be then 

 dissevered, the fibre is in a state of indifference. 



2554. Thus, in the event of tension, the nervous ex- 

 tremity of the fibre becomes negative, the arterial extremity 

 positive ; both ends necessarily attract each other in 

 order to discharge or unload themselves. This attraction 

 is an abbreviation or contraction. 



2555. After the discharge the fibrous extremities are 



