58 ANIMAL MECHANISM. 



instant (e), and the electricity of its discharges was collected 

 by means of conducting wires which sent it to the nerve of 

 the frog signal. This would give its shock at the point {t). 



Fig. 12. — Measure of the time which elapses between the excitation of 

 the electric nerve, and the discharge of the torpedo. 



The difference (g t) would express the time consumed by 

 the torpedo between the excite tion of its nerve and the dis- 

 charge. By varying the experiment, as we have done for the 

 motive nerves (page 43), we obtain the measure of the 

 rapidity of the electric nervous agent, and that of the lost time 

 in the torpedo apparatus.* 



Finally, in order to measure the duration of the electrical 

 action, we had recourse to a method which consists in col- 

 lecting this discharge during a very short time (1-1 00th of a 

 second) to send it to the frog signal, and varying gradually the 

 instant at which the electricity of the torpedo was collected. 

 It was thus ascertained that starting from the point (t) one 

 might, during 14-lOOthsof a second, obtain a series of signals 

 from the frog — 1\ t'\ t''\ but that beyond that time the 

 frog gave no signals, thus proving that the discharge had 

 terminated. 



We have not been able to follow out farther the compari- 

 son of the electric with the muscular action ; but, according 

 to the results already furnished by experiment, we can foresee 



* Deprived of appropriate apparatus, we have been obliged to construct 

 for ourselves a kind of registering instrument which should measure short 

 intervals of time with sufficient precision. We refer the reader, for the 

 real arrangement of the experiments, to the Journal de Tanatomie et de 

 la physiologic," loc. cit. Fig. 12 represents tracings which one would 

 obtain with the registering instruments already known. 



