ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS CONCERNING MUSCULAR CONTRACTION (TONUS) AND THE CULTIVATION OF RELAXATION IN MAN

Abstract

An amplifier-string-galvanometer system and procedure are described which make it possible to measure practically all degrees of muscular contraction in electrical terms. Action potentials are recorded to fractions of a microvolt. Variations in muscular contraction can be graphed for a prolonged period or the mean peak microvoltage per unit of time can be determined. These methods, applied to 15 university students lying down under conditions favorable to relaxation, show that from time to time their arm muscles contract, at least slightly. Six patients suffering from "nervous" disorder, vascular hypertension or chronic colitis characteristically yielded records showing very marked failure to relax. Measurements made on these individuals before and after training show that relaxation can be cultivated. After training, they relax more fully, as a group, than do the untrained college students. Some of the untrained subjects with disorders mentioned (in all, 20 were tested), when measured during calm periods, show fair relaxation.