Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-01-13
new NERVE DISCOVERY
Famous Scientist Explains DR..
Loeb's Theory of Life.
ELECTRICITY TIE PRIME FACTOR.

| VerSlty OF chicago declared recent
before the gathering Of psychologist
in Chicago that he had discovered tn
physical processes that accompan.
life, that electricity and not heat ener
gy is the basis Of life. Professor Gar
rett P. Serviss, in explaining this dis
covery for the New York Journal
says:
The great discovery concerning thu
nature and manner Of action of the
human nerves announced by DR.. AL
bert +. Mathews to the American
Physiological society in Chicago and
backed by the authoritative approval
Of Professor Jacques Loeb of the Chi.
cago university is SO fundamental and
80 farreaching in it's consequences
that it seems to warrant the hope that
we shall soon know what are the con-
ditions and the limits of mans power
to prolong his own life. 1t comes
closer to the solution of the mystery
Of vitality than psychologists have
ever before been able to approach.
Some Of the experiments that have
led up to this discovery have suggest
ed a new idea Of the nature Of death
and have resulted in the case Of the
rudimentary forms Of life experiment
ed with in the indefinite postpone
ment of dissolution. Even the discov-
erers do not think that they can indi-
cate the real depths to which they
have reached or toward which they
are being led. The whole foundation
of physiology and medicine may be
reconstructed, and we may find that
we possess control over the phenom-
ena of life more masterful than any
body has yet dared to dream.
Let us gee what, in plain terms the
discovery is and why it is SO farreach.
ing. Briefly stated, it has been discov-
cred that our nerves, or at least the
inner cores of them, consist of what is
called colloidal solution-that is to
say, of matter resembling gelatin held
in solution in water before it has jel.
lied or assumed the state of stiffened
elastic mass, and these colloidal parti-
cles in the nerves carry charges of pos
tive electricity.
Whenever the nerve particles pass
from the colloidal condition into the
state Of gelatin, or, in other words,
become jellied, the nerve experiences
4 stimulation or becomes active Now,
this passage Of the nerves from the
dissolved to the jellied state is pro-
1uced by the action of atoms or ions |
bearing charges Of negative electricity. |
Whenever such charges are introduced |
nto the nerves the latter are stimulat-
ID and contract.
This fact at once explains the action
# certain chemical substances when
Introduced into the human body, some
# which tend to quiet the nerves and
'thers to excite them. The nerve quiet
ng ions are those that bear charges
# positive electricity, such as the at
ms of sodium, potassium, calcium and
hydrogen, and their presence tends to
;eep the colloidal particles of the
erves in state Of solution, so that
|
The nerve stimulating ions are the
toms Of such substances as fluorine
nd chlorine, which carry charges of
egative electricity and when intro
uced into the system cause the nerve
articles to coalesce or become jellied,
which condition the nerve is active,
le degree of activity depending upon
ne intensity Of the stimulation. Death
ppears to be the result Of the stagna-
on of the nerves, resulting from ina
llity to respond to stimulation. How
If the discovery of the manner in
hich nerve action is or can be pro-
iced will enable Psychologists to op-
1se the processes that end in death
IN only be determined by further ex-
,riments.
But without regard to any such pos
bic or only to be hoped for results 1
lie new discovery throws flood of ,
sht on many hitherto obscure prob .
ms. 1T offers clear explanation, for 6
stance, of the effect of annsthetics '
ION the body. Anything that tends to (
w $hS hCl We pilllCleS Ill Il state OF | I
luton quiets the nerves. Now, the a
rive particles are largely composed @
fat. and it is we'll known that all r
aesthetics dissolve fat; hence when ]
aesthetics are introduced into the '
stem they produce the effect of posi- '
'ely electrified ions in preventing the t
rye particles from coalescing, and n
us they quiet the nerves. k
In a similar manner the action of s
Risky in arresting the progress of G.
AXE poison is explained, since snake n
ison tends to coagulate the nerve
distance, thus causing death, while
'ohol If introduced quickly enough
lnteracts the coagulating tendency =,
d keeps the nerves in colloidal con- "
ion. 10
other familiar facts are also ex- y.
lined on the same principle. Heat, =.
Instance, as everybody knows, -.
Ids to quiet the nerves. provided the ~ ~
lperature is not too high, the reason -,
ng that the effect Of heat is to pre- ~
1T coagulation of the nerve sub