RESPONSE IN LIVING AND NON-LIVING ***

Produced by Bryan Ness, Laura Wisewell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

RESPONSE IN THE LIVING

AND NON-LIVING

BY JAGADIS CHUNDER BOSE, M.A.(CANTAB.), D.Sc.(LOND.) PROFESSOR, PRESIDENCY COLLEGE, CALCUTTA

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK AND BOMBAY 1902

All rights reserved

_'The real is one: wise men call it variously'_ RIG VEDA

_To my Countrymen_ _This Work is Dedicated_

PREFACE

I have in the present work put in a connected and a more complete form results, some of which have been published in the following Papers:

'De la Généralité des Phénomènes Moléculaires produits par l'Electricité sur la matière Inorganique et sur la matière Vivante.' (_Travaux du Congrès International de Physique._ Paris, 1900.)

'On the Similarity of Effect of Electrical Stimulus on Inorganic and Living Substances.' (_Report, Bradford Meeting British Association, 1900.--Electrician._)

'Response of Inorganic Matter to Stimulus.' (Friday Evening Discourse, Royal Institution, May 1901.)

'On Electric Response of Inorganic Substances. Preliminary Notice.' (Royal Society, June 1901.)

'On Electric Response of Ordinary Plants under Mechanical Stimulus.' (_Journal Linnean Society_, 1902.)

'Sur la Réponse Electrique dans les Métaux, les Tissus Animaux et Végétaux.' (Société de Physique, Paris, 1902.)

'On the Electro-Motive Wave accompanying Mechanical Disturbance in Metals in contact with Electrolyte.' (_Proceedings Royal Society_, vol. 70.)

'On the Strain Theory of Vision and of Photographic Action.' (_Journal Royal Photographic Society_, vol. xxvi.)

These investigations were commenced in India, and I take this opportunity to express my grateful acknowledgments to the Managers of the Royal Institution, for the facilities offered me to complete them at the Davy-Faraday Laboratory.

J. C. BOSE.

DAVY-FARADAY LABORATORY, ROYAL INSTITUTION, LONDON: _May 1902._

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

THE MECHANICAL RESPONSE OF LIVING SUBSTANCES PAGE Mechanical response--Different kinds of stimuli--Myograph --Characteristics of response-curve: period, amplitude, form--Modification of response-curves 1

CHAPTER II

ELECTRIC RESPONSE

Conditions for obtaining electric response--Method of injury--Current of injury--Injured end, cuproid: uninjured, zincoid--Current of response in nerve from more excited to less excited--Difficulties of present nomenclature--Electric recorder--Two types of response, positive and negative--Universal applicability of electric mode of response--Electric response a measure of physiological activity--Electric response in plants 5

CHAPTER III

ELECTRIC RESPONSE IN PLANTS--METHOD OF NEGATIVE VARIATION

Negative variation--Response recorder--Photographic recorder--Compensator--Means of graduating intensity of stimulus--Spring-tapper and torsional vibrator--Intensity of stimulus dependent on amplitude of vibration--Effectiveness of stimulus dependent on rapidity also 17

CHAPTER IV

ELECTRIC RESPONSE IN PLANTS--BLOCK METHOD

Method of block--Advantages of block method--Plant response a physiological phenomenon--Abolition of response by anæsthetics and poisons--Abolition of response when plant is killed by hot water 27

CHAPTER V

PLANT RESPONSE--ON THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE STIMULUS AND OF SUPERPOSED STIMULI

Effect of single stimulus--Superposition of stimuli--Additive effect--Staircase effect--Fatigue--No fatigue when sufficient interval between stimuli--Apparent fatigue when stimulation frequency is increased--Fatigue under continuous stimulation 35

CHAPTER VI

PLANT RESPONSE--ON DIPHASIC VARIATION

Diphasic variation--Positive after-effect and positive response--Radial E.M. variation 44

CHAPTER VII

PLANT RESPONSE--ON THE RELATION BETWEEN STIMULUS AND RESPONSE

Increased response with increasing stimulus--Apparent diminution of response with excessively strong stimulus 51

CHAPTER VIII

PLANT RESPONSE--ON THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE

Effect of very low temperature--Influence of high temperature--Determination of death-point--Increased response as after-effect of temperature variation--Death of plant and abolition of response by the action of steam 59

CHAPTER IX

PLANT RESPONSE--EFFECT OF ANÆSTHETICS AND POISONS

Effect of anæsthetics, a test of vital character of response--Effect of chloroform--Effect of chloral--Effect of formalin--Method in which response is unaffected by variation of resistance--Advantage of block