[Illustration: FIG. 45.--ACTION OF CHLORAL HYDRATE ON THE RESPONSES OF LEAF-STALK OF CAULIFLOWER Vibration of 25 deg. at intervals of one minute.] [Illustration: FIG. 46.--ACTION OF FORMALIN (RADISH)] #Response unaffected by variation of resistance.#--In order to bring out clearly the main phenomena, I have postponed till now the consideration of a point of some difficulty. To determine the influence of a reagent in modifying the excitability of the tissue, we rely upon its effect in exalting or depressing the responsive E.M. variation. We read this effect by means of galvanometric deflections. And if the resistance of the circuit remained constant, then an increase of galvanometer deflection would accurately indicate a heightened or depressed E.M. response, due to greater or less excitability of tissue caused by the reagent. But, by the introduction of the chemical reagent, the resistance of the tissue may undergo change, and owing to this cause, modification of response as read by the galvanometer may be produced without any E.M. variation. The observed variation of response may thus be partly owing to some unknown change of resistance, as well as to that of the E.M. variation in response to stimulus. We may however discriminate as to how much of the observed change is due to variation of resistance by comparing the deflections produced in the galvanometer by the action of a definite small E.M.F. before and after the introduction of the reagent. If the deflections be the same in both cases, we know that the resistance has not varied. If there have been any change, the variation of deflection will show the amount, and we can make allowance accordingly. I have however adopted another method, by which all necessity of correction is obviated, and the galvanometric deflections simply give E.M. variations, unaffected by any change in the resistance of the tissue. This is done by interposing a very large and constant resistance in the external circuit and thereby making other resistances negligible. An example will make this point clear. Taking a carrot as the vegetable tissue, I found its resistance plus the resistance of the non-polarisable electrode equal to 20,000 ohms. The introduction of a chemical reagent reduced it to 19,000 ohms. The resistance of the galvanometer is equal to 1,000 ohms. The high external resistance was 1,000,000 ohms. The variation of resistance produced in the circuit would therefore be 1,000 in (1,000,000+19,000+1,000) or one part in 1,020. Therefore the variation of galvanometric deflection due to change of resistance would be less than one part in a thousand (cf. fig. 49).