80 THE REIGN OF LAW. 



muscular fibre: another Force — that of Animal 

 Electricity in statical condition — holds the con- 

 tractile Force in check ; and the relaxed, or rather 

 the restful, condition of the muscle when not in 

 use, is due to the balance so maintained. When, 

 through the motor nerves the Will orders the mus- 

 cles into action, that order is enforced by a dis- 

 charge of the Electrical Force, and upon this 

 discharge the contractile Force is set free to act, 

 and does accordingly produce the contraction which 

 is desired* 



Such is, at least, one suggestion as to the 

 means employed to place human action under the 

 control of human Will, in that material frame 

 which is so wonderfully and fearfully made. And 

 whether this hypothesis be accurate or not, it is 

 certain that some such adjustment of Force to 

 Mechanism is involved in every bodily movement 

 which is subject to the Will. Even in this high 

 region, therefore, we see that the existence of 

 individual laws is not the end of our physical 



* This theory of muscular and nervous action is set forth with 

 much ingenuity and force of illustration in "Lectures on Epi- 

 lepsy, &c, by Ch. Bland Radcliffe, M.D." 



