Studies on the maintenance of the equilibrium of motion and its disturbances, so-called 'forced movements' / by L.J.J. Muskens.

  • Muskens, Louis Jacob Josef, 1872-1937.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Studies on the maintenance of the equilibrium of motion and its disturbances, so-called 'forced movements' / by L.J.J. Muskens. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    19/22 (page 219)
    it appears again if the head is rotated to the L. Dropped from 2 feet height back down, falls on R. side of body. 29. 3. No nystagmus in any position. Conjunctivitis on R. eye. Some loss of cerebro-spinal fluid from the wound. Optic discs normal. Usually the cat walks straight or to the R., whilst there is a tendency to fall on the R. side. As soon as blindfolded with plaster strips, the cat turns in a short circus (4 foot radius) to the L., while the forced position of rotation around the longitudinal axis to the R. increases. After removing the plaster the cat walks again to the R. 3. 4. Rotation of head and eyeballs less marked. Same experiment with blindfolding, with the same result. 9. 4. Idem. 12. 4. Pupils equal. Rotation of head and eyes persists. A marked resistance is still experienced while trying to rotate the head to the L. 10 h. 45'. Superficial ether narcosis. First the L., later also the R. eye, shows nystagmus, the quick jerk being directed to the R. Deep narcosis: rotation of eyeballs in opposite direction, as during life. L. eye somewhat turned up. If by rapid bleeding death is caused in an animal which presents the complete syndrome of rolling movements to the right side (as well in cats as rabbits) a very marked asymmetry in the appearance of the rigor mortis is observed1. Careful notes were made about this pheno- menon in a number of rabbits in Boston, March,1898,in Prof. Bowditch’s laboratory. While the animal is alive and rolling takes place to the right, the left hind-leg is, as a rule, in a state of greater tonicity than the right one; the head is, as said above, rotated to the right. After death the animal was suspended, at the ordinary temperature of the laboratory. Asymmetry in the state of tonicity was observed within 401. Most constantly it was found that the left hind-leg remained quite limp, while the right hind-leg became quite stiff; this difference was especially marked in the flexors of the joints, whereas the extensors of the foot in two cases presented a change in the opposite direction. If there was found a marked difference in the condition of the fore- legs, the right fore-leg remained longer limp than the left one. It was also noted that it was easier to bend the head to the left than to the right. This asymmetry in the rigor mortis persisted for several hours. In concluding this paper I may be permitted to explain how I have become accustomed to look upon the nature of the forced movements and allied phenomena. Having regard to the work of Y. Delage and others in arthropoda and my own experiments in octopods, I would 1 The difference in rigor mortis of different muscle groups finds its expression in difference of the two sides of the body in the succession of the rigor in muscle groups and also in an asymmetrical degree of rigor; this can hardly cause any surprise, since the influence of severance of the peripheral and central nervous system of the rigor was studied by Nysten, and by Bleuler, Lehmann and Bierfreund.