Produced by Bryan Ness, Laura Wisewell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net RESPONSE IN THE LIVING AND NON-LIVING BY JAGADIS CHUNDER BOSE, M.A.(CANTAB.), D.Sc.(LOND.) PROFESSOR, PRESIDENCY COLLEGE, CALCUTTA WITH ILLUSTRATIONS LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK AND BOMBAY 1902 All rights reserved _'The real is one: wise men call it variously'_ RIG VEDA _To my Countrymen_ _This Work is Dedicated_ PREFACE I have in the present work put in a connected and a more complete form results, some of which have been published in the following Papers: 'De la Generalite des Phenomenes Moleculaires produits par l'Electricite sur la matiere Inorganique et sur la matiere Vivante.' (_Travaux du Congres International de Physique._ Paris, 1900.) 'On the Similarity of Effect of Electrical Stimulus on Inorganic and Living Substances.' (_Report, Bradford Meeting British Association, 1900.--Electrician._) 'Response of Inorganic Matter to Stimulus.' (Friday Evening Discourse, Royal Institution, May 1901.) 'On Electric Response of Inorganic Substances. Preliminary Notice.' (Royal Society, June 1901.) 'On Electric Response of Ordinary Plants under Mechanical Stimulus.' (_Journal Linnean Society_, 1902.) 'Sur la Reponse Electrique dans les Metaux, les Tissus Animaux et Vegetaux.' (Societe de Physique, Paris, 1902.) 'On the Electro-Motive Wave accompanying Mechanical Disturbance in Metals in contact with Electrolyte.' (_Proceedings Royal Society_, vol. 70.) 'On the Strain Theory of Vision and of Photographic Action.' (_Journal Royal Photographic Society_, vol. xxvi.) These investigations were commenced in India, and I take this opportunity to express my grateful acknowledgments to the Managers of the Royal Institution, for the facilities offered me to complete them at the Davy-Faraday Laboratory. J. C. BOSE. DAVY-FARADAY LABORATORY, ROYAL INSTITUTION, LONDON: _May 1902._ CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE MECHANICAL RESPONSE OF LIVING SUBSTANCES PAGE Mechanical response--Different kinds of stimuli--Myograph --Characteristics of response-curve: period, amplitude, form--Modification of response-curves 1 CHAPTER II ELECTRIC RESPONSE