CHAP. X. §. I, DDEING MUSCULAR CONTEACTION. 135 



We have then now two distinct questions for our 

 consideration : Is*, Is there, or is there not, any force 

 evolved during muscular contraction? and, Zndly, Is 

 the muscular current affected during muscular con- 

 traction ? And this brings me to speak of the results 

 we have been considering in the present chapter. 



Du Bois Eeymond's results lead him to consider, 

 that in the frog the current is direct, and in man 

 inverse, as shewn by the galvanometer. My experi- 

 ments lead me to believe, that the current is direct in 

 both instances. Upon carefully looking over a Paper 

 by Du Bois Eetmond ' upon this question, it appears 

 to me that he frequently obtains the direct current ; 

 but laying so much stress, as he does, upon the 

 necessity of a current (muscular) circulating through 

 the instrument prior to contraction before he can 

 conclude that the resulting action upon the needle 

 is what he calls " the negative oscillation" of the 

 muscular current, that his object was to ascertain 

 whether the muscular current in the human subject 

 was not affected during muscular contraction, as in 

 the frog, when arranged with a muscular element in 

 the manner I have stated in the preceding paragraph. 

 But then the question will arise, how can we account 

 for the effects, when the limbs of a frog are placed in 

 separate vessels, as is done with the hands ? I may 

 be mistaken in my opinion. As I have not been 

 able to obtain this inverse current, and if Du Bois 

 Reymond has been endeavouring to obtain this inverse 

 ' Bibliothfeque Universelle de Genfeve, Juin ]853. 



