BLAIR'S "CONDENSER THEORY" OF NERVE EXCITATION

Blair's "condenser Theory" of Nerve Excitation

Blair's recent theory of excitation is analysed with the following conclusions: 1. The theory is inapplicable to currents of long duration; i.e., slowly increasing currents and the opening excitation. 2. The theory is a modification of the condenser theory of excitation but the modification is to be rejected on three grounds: (a) The modification has no obvious physical significance. (b) It doe...

On the Excitation of Tissue by Means of Condenser Discharges

Equations are derived for the capacity-voltage relations for stimulation of tissue by condenser discharges, using the hypothesis that the local excitatory process p grows under the influence of an applied potential V according to the equation, See PDF for Equation where K and k are constants. It is further assumed that the local excitatory process becomes adequate when it attains a value h +/- ...

Electric Excitation of Nerve

Nerve membrane excitation without threshold.

Evidence is presented to show that for a squid axon membrane the potential response, V, is a smoothly continuous function of a stimulating current, I. This makes it unlikely that an all-or-none or sharp transition phenomenon is a major factor in the processes by which ions cross the normal squid axon membrane and, probably, other excitable membranes. Spatially uniform V and I were first produce...

Birefringence Associated with Nerve Excitation

The objective of this paper is to offer experimental evidence which shows that the process of excitation in the nerve is accompanied by a transient change in optical properties of the nervous tissue. The optical properties examined in­ clude fluorescence, turbidity, and birefringence. Changes in fluorescence were examined after nervous tissues were stained with the dye 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-su...