Paper, 'Experiments with pressure on excitable tissues' by George J [John] Romanes

Description

Romanes writes: 'The effects of temperature on excitable tissues have been well worked out; but, so far as I have been able to ascertain, no physiologist has tried the effects of pressure. From physical analogies it appeared to me probable that increase of pressure would act on excitable tissues in a manner analogous to decrease of temperature, and conversely; but the results of my experiments have not borne out this anticipation. Nevertheless, the research seems worth publishing. In a small glass chamber, made for the purpose, I was able to place the freshly excised heart of a frog or a tortoise, and there to submit the rhythmically beating tissue to any increase of atmospheric pressure that I desired, up to a maximum limit of 22 atmospheres, beyond which it was not safe to go with the glass chamber that I had.'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Biology / Physiology

Received 18 May 1886. Read 27 May 1886.

A version of this paper was published in volume 40 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'Experiments with pressure on excitable tissues'.

Reference number

PP/8/29

Earliest possible date

1886

Physical description

Ink and coloured pencil on paper

Page extent

3 pages

Format

Manuscript