CHAP. VIII. 



ON THE ELECTRIC CONDITION OF THE MUSCULAB AND 

 NEBVOUS TISSUES. MUSCULAB CUBBENT. NEEVE 

 CUERENT. POLABIZED CONDITION OF THE MnSCUlAB 

 TISSUE AND OF THE NEEVE TISSUE. 



In chap. vi. besides the conclusion that current 

 force was manifested during nutrition in the mus- 

 cular and the nervous tissues, and that the tissues, 

 the muscular and the nervous, presented one 

 electric state, the negative, whilst the venous blood 

 presented the other condition, the positive; it was 

 also shewn, from the experiments of Matteucci and 

 Du Bois Eeimond, and confirmed by some of my 

 own, that similar effects were obtained when the 

 external and divided surfaces, either of the muscle 

 or of the nerve, were formed into a circuit producing 

 the so-called muscular and nerve currents, the ex- 

 ternal surface in both instances being positive to the 

 divided or transverse section. The question natu- 

 rally arises as to the origin of the current ; we can 

 understand the negative state being produced during 

 nutrition, the tissue in fact being deposited as the 

 anion, whilst the cation is passing away in the blood ; 

 but, it may be asked, where is the cation on the 

 external surface? Matteuooi', in some of his recent 

 ■ Biblioth^que Universelle de Geneve, &c, 18S6. 



