ELECTRICITY AND LIFE. 169 
muscles and nerves have been the occasion, particularly in 
Germany, of laborious investigations, with which are con- 
nected the names of Du Bois-Reymond, Pfliiger, and Remak. 
The doctrines of these learned physiologists, regarding the 
molecular condition of the nerves in their various modes of 
electrization, are still very much disputed. It must be 
said that they are not supported by any experimental cer- 
tainty, and perhaps. the ideas developed by Matteucci sup- 
ply better means for the general solution of these difficul- 
ties. This eminent experimenter opposed to the German 
theories about the electrotonic faculties of the nerves cer- 
tain evident phenomena of electrolysis, that is, of chemical 
decompositions effected by the currents. He supposed 
_that the modifications of excitement in the nerves, brought 
about by the passage of electricity, depended on the acids 
and the alkalies resulting from the separation of the salts 
contained in animal tissues. To this first class of phenom- 
ena may be added those electro-capillary currents lately 
observed by Becquerel. Here must be sought the deeper 
causes of that complicated and as yet obscure mechanism 
of the strife between electricity and life. 
The effects of electricity on plants have been much less 
studied, experiments made on this subject being neither 
accurate nor numerous enough. We know that electricity 
causes contractions in the various species of mimosa, par- 
ticularly in the sensitive-plant, etc. Becquerel has stud- 
ied its action on the germination and development of vege- 
tables. Electricity decomposes the salts contained in the 
seed, conveying the acid elements to the positive pole, 
and the alkaline ones to the negative. Now, the former 
injure vegetation, while the latter benefit it. Quite lately 
the same experimenter has made a series of researches 
upon the influence of electricity on vegetable colors. Em- 
ploying strong discharges obtained from friction-machines, 
he has noticed very remarkable alterations of color, usually 
