The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-06
WORK OF NERVES
Prof. Loeb Thinks He Knows How It
IT,. ....E Is Done.
DISCOVERY OF IMPORTANCE
Something That Seems to Explain
go the Action of Anaesthetics
- and of Alcohol. u.s.

Chicago, Jan. 6.-The secret Of the work
of the nerves said to have been discoV-
cred by Professor Jacques Loeb of the
University of Chicago, explains the action
of anaesthetics, alcohol and like phe-
nomena Robbed of its scientific phrase
ology and set forth in ordinary language,
it becomes fairly easy of comprehension.
In the first place, it is necessary to I'M
derstand that physicists, and especially
physiological chemists, deal nowadays not
so much with atoms Of matter as with
ions, which are the atoms combined with
mysterious positive or negative electric
charges These charges are themselves
called electrons. Metals commonly have
positive charges and the nonmetals mega
tive, though the same atom at different
times may have both. The atom and it's
electron may be compared to the earth
with it's moon, and, like the latter, it is
merged in the solid system of the mole
Guile.
colloidal solution is nothing more for
midable than common jelly that mas not
vet ielled When the housewife takes a
lot of dry gelatin and pours hot water on
it she makes a cclloidal solution, known
more commonly as hydrosol, or 'sol."
When this 'jells'' it becomes hydrogel
or gel" Now the nerve is nothing more
or less than a colloidal solution in long
slender case, though, of course, 1t is more
complex, than commercial gelatine and is
formed of proteids.
w. B. Hardy of Cambridge, England,
showed some time ago that the colloldal
solutions carry on their particles negative
or positive charges of electricity, and can
he precipitated by the opposite charges.
1t has long been known that the nerve
was made of Droteids and thatAwhenever
a. nerve impulse was transmitted 1T was
accompanied by a current OF negative
electricity. Recently DR.. Jacques Loeb,
who showed year ago that sod1um
chloride solution would stimulate the
heart to increased action, and VINO mas
since been working to determine now the
sodium accomplished that end turned his
attention to the study of the valence or
ion. and began investigation into the in
fuence of ions on muscle stimulus.
DR.. Mathews, a colleague of his, took
this I'D at once and began series OF ex-
periments with the nerves or frogs and
other animals, which quickly showed that
not the positive, or sodium, but the mega
tive chloride ion was the determining rae
tor. He was led by his sexper1pents to
form the hypothesis that the nerveNstlmu-
lus was similar to the precipitation OF
col1odial solutions by the same substances
as described by Hardy, and$at once found
his hypothesis satisfying every condition
He found, in short, that what happens IN
| the nerve when it is stimulated is nothing
more than that it mas a tendency to
.jell.'
! Finding then that the particles OF col
| 1odial solution in the nerve had positive
| electric charges, he next discovered that
| thew induced in the water which holds
them in solution negative charges about
! themselves. When mechanical JAY
causes two or more collodial particles te
coalesce as raindroDs on WINDOW &c
when it is truck by a blow, the surface
of these, upon which the charges reside
! is reduced, some Of the negative charges
are released and attract to themselves
! some Of the positive charges on the neigh
boring particles, causing these in turn &c
| ccalesce in order to reduce their surface
and thus, in turn, freeing other negative
| charges which affect the next layer mus
! is created that negative current or mega
tive variation. !,
! DR.. Loeb, taking up these experiments
! at once found them fitting in with his
! and knowing that muscle is like thu
nerve, collodial in nature, had at once a
hand an explanation of muscular con
tractility-one of the most dltflcult prop
lens science has had to contend with
For it at once became evident that tn
(! negative current, or motor-1mpulse, en-
| tering the nerve, Drecipitated the col
loids therein in the same way and thu
! contracted the nerve. He had alread
1 shown hiatt the skeletal muscles of tn
! body will beat rythmically when place
i in solutions of negative ions. Now. b
had before him a reason for this It wa
at once evident that the beating Of tn