1876.] On the Vaso-motor Ne^'ves of Striated Muscle. 



439 



Table 11. — Showing the Electromotive Properties of Muscle-cylinders 

 cut from the Eight Muscles in Table I. 











Potentials of vmdermentioned points 





Distance of 



Length 



Distance of 



compared with F=0-0. 





lower cut sur- 



point F from 









Muscle. 



of 



cylinder. 









face from 



lower cut 



Most positive 



Most negative 



Centre of 





tendon. 



surface. 



point of na- 

 tural surface. 



point of natu- 

 ral surface. 



lower cut 

 surface. 



Frog 1 : 















Gastr. r 



1-6 



20 



0-5 



4-4-0 



-2-5 



-5-7 



„ I 

 Frog 2 : 



1-2 



1-7 



0-8 



-h4-5 



0-0 



-3-3 

















1"4 



15 



0"85 



+2-6 



-3-4 



-4-8 



„ I 



Frog 3 : 



1-6 



1-4 



0-0 



4-2-5 



-1-0 



-3-4 

















1-5 



1-5 



0-8 



4-0-8 



-4-1 



-4-8 



„ I 



1-2 



1-4 



0-6 





-1-5 



-4-0 



Frog 4 : 

















1-2 



1-6 



00 



4-1-4 



00 



-2-9 



„ I 



1-2 



1-6 



00 



4-0-0 



0-0 



-2-9 



III. Preliminary Notice of Investigations on the Action of the 

 Vaso-motor Nerves of Striated Muscle.^^ By W. H. Gaskell^ 

 M.A._, Trinity College^ Cambridge. Communicated by Dr. 

 Michael Foster, F.R.S. Received November 23, 1876. 



(Abstract.) 



"When a muscle is thrown into a state of tetanus by stimulation of its 

 nerve, it seems, at first sight, reasonable to suppose that the contraction 

 of the muscle substance must cause a considerable pressure on the vessels 

 of the muscle, and, therefore, that for this reason less blood must pass 

 through ; and, if at the same time that the motor fibres are stimulated 

 vaso-constrictor fibres are also stimulated, one must conclude that during 

 the tetanus of a muscle there is a very much less volume of blood flowing 

 through. 



On the other hand, in order for the muscle to do work for any length 

 of time, it is necessary that there should be a greater facility for the 

 removal of the waste products and a more active supply of nutritive 

 material during the state of contraction than when the muscle is at rest. 

 This hypothesis necessitates, therefore, a greater flow of blood through 

 the muscle during the tetanus of that muscle. 



Which of these two statements is the true one, Sadler (Ludwig's 

 ' Arbeiten,' 1869) has already indicated. As, however, his method and his 

 results are not absolutely satisfactory, I, at the suggestion and with the 

 help of Professor Ludwig, carried out last year, in Leipzig, a series of 

 experiments of the same nature as his, and, by means of much improved 



