20 Colorado College Studies. 



warming. The curve is almost a reproduction of the second 

 part of No. 3. 



Next electric stimulus was tried. At first the electrodes 

 were placed over marked points on the muscle. The results 

 were unsatisfactory. Since the current in such a case seems to 

 stimulate only a part of the muscle fibres, the slii2;htest moving 

 of the hand or even a change in the position of the body or feet 

 would move the instrument or muscle enough to get a large in- 

 crease of power at once, which at first seemed like a recovery of 

 power. Then we located the branch of the radial nerve which 

 supplies the motor power to this muscle and applied the elec- 

 trodes to it. The result was a much larger amount of work 

 done and much more uniform results. The same attempt 

 was made to work the muscle a time, then give it five minutes' 

 warming up and then apply again the same stimulus to the 

 nerve as before. The results were not always the same and 

 varied much in different subjects. In no case, however, did 

 the curve after the warming up show a decided improvement. 

 In a few cases and in the subject G., who showed the most 

 constant improvement in the warmed up curve, there was 

 sometimes a slight improvement. This seemed, however, to 

 be entirely due to peripheral conditions. The flexibility of 

 the skin in the palm of the hand and about the index, the 

 natural stiffness or resistance about the joints that have not 

 been used in a certain way for a long time, might explain the 

 slight rise in the curve after these resisting elements had 

 been lessened or relaxed by use. This looked as if there 

 was nothing more than a slight improvement at most in the 

 muscle itself and the end plates of the nerves. See curve 

 No. 5, Plate 3. 



Then there were many instances where the curve after the 

 electric warming up was less than before. In a few cases, 

 the same stimulus, applied to the nerve, could not raise as 

 large a weight after the first curve had been taken and a 

 period of five minutes had been given for rest and warming 

 up. On removing 150 grams the subject raised it to a good 

 height. The 150 were put back after a few successful pulls 

 of the lighter weight and the same condition prevailed as at 



