534 Richard J. Andersoij., 



times. The rate of propagation of a wave in muscle has been studied 

 by Eollett. The rate is 0.116 mm. per second and wave length 

 0.097 mm. Distractions are apt to diminish the value of reflex. The 

 work of Ludwig, Kühne, Kronecker, and their pupils Dogiel. Bowditch, 

 L. Brunton and others, I have referred to (in a short paraphrasis in 

 part from "Nature"). Cash, Eomanes, Saville Kent, Gaskell, Paukul, 

 Archangelsky, Imchatzensky, have also been referred to in the article 

 alluded to. Kronecker showed that although a muscle of a frog may raise 

 20 grammes 2700 times, yet there are seasonable differences. Tension 

 of the heart muscle increases the number and force of the pulsations 

 (Ludwig and Luchsinger). This is seen in Helix pomatia where no 

 ganglia have been found in the heart. The muscle acts as a neuro- 

 muscular organ, or resembles (in part) a cell with diffuse nucleoid 

 elements. Engelmann proved that the bulbus aortae in the frog con- 

 tracts rhythmically without ganglia, Biedermann showed that the thin- 

 walled heart of Helix when empty gave few and feeble pulsations, 

 whilst slight pressure brought about intense rhythmic contraction. 

 Schönlein proved the same for aplysia; and showed that if the tension 

 had been strong, and continued for some time, the pulsations persisted 

 after the tension had ceased (compare rhythm in plants). Ludwig and 

 Luchsinger proved the same thing for the frog, and the latter noticed 

 that tension of smooth muscle had a similar effect. Excitability gets 

 increased with increased excitement. It may be that tension is an 

 excitant, i. e. it modifies the "energetic" transformations; or modifi- 

 cations in contraction may be due to changes in the elastic medium. 

 The restoration of tonicity by blue light in plants seems to have 

 some "points of contact" with the effect of heat on muscle. Fick 

 showed that twice as much heat was dis-engaged by a cooled muscle, 

 during isometric contraction, than during isotonic contraction; although 

 in heating, the heat augments equally for isotonic and isometric con- 

 traction. The effects of electrical stimulation is different according to 

 drcumstances. The elevation of the marker increases (1) with the 

 increase in weight (up to a certain limit); (2) with the intensity of the 

 stimulus (this is different for different temperatures which may increase 

 or diminish the response). With a minimum result at 19°, there is a 



