30 Dr. Fordyce’s Lecture 
Lendo d chillis , for inftance, the fame thing will happen. 
And we now are all convinced, from various experiments, that a 
tendon in a found {fate is not capable of being Simulated by 
being wounded, cut through, or broken. 
I apprehend, then, that we may conclude, that all the 
moving parts are coiiftantly contracted, that is, their particles 
are nearer one another when the body is alive, than when dead, 
and totally left to their elasticity. This fpecies of action I call 
the tone. The fecond fpecies, or variety, which occurs in the 
attraction of life, is when a moving part, for a fhort time, has 
its particles brought nearer one another than they are from their 
tone, and which very rarely continues for many feconds of 
time without intermediate relaxation. I call it their adtion ; 
when it does continue for a longer time, it is called fpafm ; 
% which, however, is fo vague a term, that I could wifli totally 
to rejeCt it, at leaft to confine it only to this fenfe, m. a greater 
contraction, or coming nearer one another of the particles, of a 
moving part, than that which would happen from their tone, 
remaining without any intermediate relaxation. 
I for the prefent do not mean to fay any thing farther with 
regard to the tone, or fpafm of parts ; but only to call to your 
conlideration the aClion, as excited by applications to fome 
part of the body at a diftance from the moving part. I have 
already rejected all communication by the application, or fti- 
mulus, being carried by the blood-veffels, or any other way 
whatever, to the part, I have alfo rejected any motion, or 
communication of any kind whatever by the brain and nerves 
to the part. I conceive, that when any ftimulus or application 
whatever is made in any part, fo as to produce any aCtion in 
a diftant part, that that medicine or application, without hav- 
ing any operation whatever on the intermediate parts, gives a 
power 
