142 NERVE FOECE. CHAP. XI. §. II. 



Neither Moller' nor Matteucci^ have been able 

 to obtain any effect when they placed the galvano- 

 scopic nerve upon another nerve in a living animal. 



The sciatic nerve of the animal was now divided 

 at its lower extremity, and the nerve of the galvano- 

 scopic limb arranged thus : its divided extremity was 

 placed in close contact with that of the animal, and 

 then brought round so that its side should be in 

 contact either with the side of the nerve of the 

 rabbit, or with that of its own nerve, forming a loop. 

 Now if there was any thing like a current passing 

 along the excited nerve of the animal, we should 

 expect it to be continued on along the nerve of the 

 galvanoscopic frog, producing the effect of a direct 

 current. The galvanoscopic limb contracted when 

 first applied, due either to its own nerve current, 

 or to that of the animal, but no contraction occurred 

 during the stimulation of the nerve, unless the 

 circuit was broken. Instead of the side of the nerve 

 of the galvanoscopic frog being placed in contact 

 either with its own nerve or that of the animal, the 

 tendo Achillis was used : the effects however were 

 still the same, no contraction during the stimulation 

 of the nerve. When the end of the nerve of the 

 galvanoscopic frog was merely placed in contact with 

 the end of the sciatic nerve, so as to form a pro- 

 longation of the nerve, no contraction of the galvano- 

 scopic limb occurred. The di\'ided ends of the 

 sciatic nerve of the animal were brought into as close 

 "^ Loc. cit. 



