yan. 1 1, 1872] 



NATURE 



209 



battery was left open. Now the latter circuit is also 

 closed, and with this result — that the index gives a sudden 

 great jump in the direction showing contraction, and then, 

 immediately moving in the opposite direction to that 

 signifying contraction, takes up a position on the other 

 side of zero — at 1 5^ or 20^, it may be — a movement show- 

 ing, not contraction, therefore, but elongation. Eliminating, 

 as non-essential, the strong contraction which happens at 

 the closing of the circuit — for this has to do, not with an- 

 electrotonus, but with the cxtra-cui iiiit which traverses 

 the nerve between the poles at the closing of the voltaic 

 circuit — what happens, therefore, on the establishment of 

 anelectrotonus is, fint, suspension 0/ the /t'A7;»vci' caused by 

 the feeble faradaic currents ; and, secondly, elongation of 

 7)iusc!e. This is the second step of the experiment, and 

 these the results. 



The third step follows upon the second. Its object is 

 to ascertain whether the tetanus may be made to re- 

 turn during anelectrotonus by slightly increasing the 

 strength of the faradaic currents acting upon the nerve ; 

 and the way of arriving at this is to leave the voltaic 

 circuit still closed, to go on moving the secondary coil 

 of the induction apparatus nearer to the primary, and 

 to stop the moment the faradaic currents acquire strength 

 enough to call back any tetanus. And this is what 

 happens — that after moving the secondary coil but a 

 short distance towards the primary, the index shows, not 

 only that the tetanus has reappeared, but that it has re- 

 appeared in greater force. Before the establishment of 

 anelectrotonus, the tetanus caused by faradaic currents 

 only just strong enough to tetanise the muscle carried the 

 index to 20° or thereabouts ; after the establishment, the 

 tetanus caused by faradaic currents only just strong enough 

 to exert a tetanising action moved the index to 40° or 

 60°. In a word, contraction may happen in anelectrotonus, 

 and when it happens it is considerably increased in 

 amount. This is the third step of the experiment, and this 

 the result. 



In the experiment for exhibiting the phenomena of 

 cathelectrotonus — that in which the negative voltaic pole 

 is placed next to the insertion of the nerve into the muscle 

 — all the steps are the same, and so are the results. The 

 setting up of cathelectrotonus suspends the tetanus caused 

 by feeble faradaic currents, and causes elongation in the 

 muscle. The tetanus brought back during the cathelec- 

 trotonus by currents only just strong enough to have a 

 tetanising action is in increased force. The degree of 

 elongation is the same as in anelectrotonus. The increase 

 of contraction is the same as in anelectrotonus. The only 

 difference, indeed, between the two experiments is this, 

 that somewhat feebler faradaic currents serve to recall 

 the tetanus in cathelectrotonus than those which were re- 

 quired to do this in anelectrotonus. 



Nor are these facts at variance with those which are 

 brought to light when the state of electrotonus is pro- 

 duced by a smaller amount of battery power — by a 

 single element, for example. In this case it often happens 

 (not always) that the tetanus caused by salt or very feeble 

 faradaic currents is suspended by anelectrotonus, and 

 intensified by cathelectrotonus. It seems as if there was 

 an essential difference between this action of the two 

 electrotonic states upon nerve and muscle, but after what 

 has just been seen this is by no means a necessary conclu- 

 sion. It has been seen that anelectrotonus has a greater 

 power of suspending tetanus than cathelectrotonus, there- 

 fore tetanus may be suspended by anelectrotonus when it 

 is not suspended by cathelectrotonus. It has been seen 

 that during both anelectrotonus and cathelectrotonus 

 contraction when it happens is greater than that which 

 happens in the non-electrotonised state ; and there- 

 fore, during cathelectrotonus, if tetanus be not suspended, 

 it is likely to be intensified. This is all. The facts are 

 in keeping with those which have gone before when they 

 are properly looked into, and there is no ground in them 



for supposing that there is an essential difference between 

 the action of anelectrotonus and cathelectrotonus — no 

 ground for supposing that the effects of using a small 

 battery power in the production of electrotonus are in any 

 way different from those which attend the use of a larger 

 power of this kind. C, B. Radcliffe 



CONJOINT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS* 



"XITE are able to open the new year with the satisfactory 

 • • announcement that the last difficulty has been 

 removed which impeded the action of the great medical 

 examining incorporations of England in uniting to frame 

 a conjoint scheme for a minimum examination, which will 

 constitute, in fact, a single and uniform portal to the pro- 

 fession. All the committees of the bodies concerned have 

 signified their approval of the following scheme : — 



In view of the legal difficulties which have been stated 

 by the Society of Apothecaries to prevent that society 

 taking part in the formation of an examining board in this 

 division of the United Kingdom, it was resolved : 



I. That a board of examiners be appointed in this divi- 

 sion of the United Kingdom by the co operation of the 

 Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College 

 of Surgeons of England, and of such other of the medical 

 authorities in England, mentioned in Schedule (A) to the 

 Medical Act, as may take part in its formation ; it being 

 understood that, liberty being left to such co-operating 

 medical authorities to confer, as they think proper, their 

 honorary distinctions and degrees, each of them will ab- 

 stain from the exercise of its independent privilege of 

 giving admission to the " Medical Register." 



II. That the Board be constituted of examiners, or of 

 examiners and assessors appointed by the several co- 

 operating medical authorities. 



III. That examiners be appointed on the following sub- 

 jects : Anatomy and physiology ; chemistry ; materia 

 medica, medical botany, and pharmacy ; forensic medi- 

 cine ; surgery ; medicine; midwifery ; or on such subjects 

 as may be hereafter required. 



IV. That no examiner hold office more than five suc- 

 cessive years, and that no examiner who has continued in 

 office for that period be eligible for re-election until after 

 the expiration of one year. 



V. That the examiners be appointed annually by the 

 several co-operating medical authorities on the nomina- 

 tion of a committee, called herein " The Committee of 

 Reference ; " but no member of the Committee of Refer- 

 ence shall be eligible for nomination as an examiner. 



VI. That a Committee of Reference, to consist of an 

 equal number of representatives of medicine and surgery, 

 be appointed as follows : One representative of medicine 

 and one representative of surgery to be appointed by each 

 of the Universities in England ; four representatives o( 

 medicine to be appointed by the Royal College of Physi- 

 cians of London ; four representatives of surgery to be 

 appointed by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 



VII. That one-fourth of the Committee of Reference go 

 out of office annually, and that, after the first four years, 

 no retiring member be re-eligible until after the expira- 

 tion of one year. 



VIII. That the duties of the Committee of Reference 

 be generally as follows : i. To determine the number of 

 examiners to be assigned to each subject of examination. 

 2. To nominate the examiners for appointment by the 

 several co-operating medical authorities. 3. To arrange 

 and superintend all matters relating to the examinations, 

 in accordance with regulations approved by the co-ope- 

 rating medical authorities. 4. To consider such questions 

 in relation to the examinations as they may think fit, or 

 such as shall be referred to them by any of the co-ope- 



* Reprinted from the British Medical yourytat. 



