OHAP.X. §.I. DUEING MUSCULAE CONTEAOTION. 121 



needle was observed, the contracted limb being 

 podtive to the other from 3° to 4°. To prevent the 

 fluid from being scattered upon the electrode, a piece 

 of glass was attached to the part as a weight to avoid 

 too great motion of the limb. In some instances 

 both feet were removed : the effect upon the needle 

 was still the same. 



Similar results were obtained with the acid solu- 

 tion, but with the alkaline solution the effects varied, 

 especially so if the solution were strong. The 

 alkali acted apparently upon the mucous secretion 

 of the skin. 



Great care was required to have the cutaneous 

 surfaces clean previous to the introduction of the 

 limbs into the solutions, so that no current could 

 arise therefrom. 



Is it necessary to place the nerve of a galvanoscopic 

 frog in contact with the longitudinal and transverse 

 section of a muscle in order to obtain the necessary 

 contractions? Repeating the experiment of Mat- 

 TEUCCi ', it was found that the contraction might be 

 obtained without placing the nerve in contact with 

 the muscle. At the same time I must add, that the 

 effect upon the galvanoscopic frog appeared greater 

 when its nerve was placed transverse to the muscular 

 fibres than in any other position. 



1 Phil. Trans. 1850. Ninth Series. Annales de Chimie et de 

 Physique, Juin, 1856. 



