In these memoirs we find the Brunonian doctrine set forth with such silence in regard to Dr. Brown himself, that some have not scrupled to charge Dr. Girtanner with literary _theft_; but this is a matter which belongs not to us to consider: the theory may be very good, whether stolen or not. He changes the word _excitability_, used by Dr. Brown, for _irritability_; but hath the misfortune of not being able to tell us what he means by it. He goes on, however, to distinguish the three states of _tone_ or health, _accumulation_, and _exhaustion_, as other Brunonians do. Health, he says, in a fibre “consists in a certain quantity of the irritable principle necessary for its preservation. To maintain this state, the action of the stimulus must be strong enough to carry off from the fibre the surplus of this irritable principle which the lungs and the circulation of the fluids are continually supplying. For this a certain equilibrium is necessary between the stimuli applied and the irritability of the fibre, in fine that the sum of all the stimuli acting upon it may be always nearly equal; powerful enough to carry off from the fibre the excess of its irritability, and not so strong as to carry off more than this excess.... When the sum of the stimuli acting upon the fibre is not great enough to carry off all its excess of irritability, the irritable principle accumulates in the fibre, and then it is found in that state which I call the _state of accumulation_; the irritable principle accumulates in the fibre, its irritability is augmented, and the stimuli produce much stronger contractions than when the fibre only retains its tone.... When the sum of the stimuli acting upon the fibre is too great, the fibre is deprived not only of the excess of its irritability, but also of some portion of the irritable principle necessary for the tone of the fibre; or, more properly speaking, the fibre loses more irritability than it receives, and, of course, in a short time finds itself in a state of _exhaustion_; and this exhaustion will be either _temporary_, or _irreparable_.”