Volume 1

The collected papers of Sydney Ringer.

  • Sydney Ringer
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: The collected papers of Sydney Ringer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    earlier paper, and reproducing certain of liis tracings.^ The paper is contained in the Journal of Physiology, Vol. VII, pp. 291-308, 1886. It is noteworthy that it was here that Ringer first commenced to use calcium phosphate in his circulating fluid, having previously used chlorides only of sodium, potassium and calcium, that is up till this stage, he had himself always used what is now a modern modification of Ringer’s solution. It is also of interest that his calcium phosphate, as he tells us, was anatysed for him by his colleague Dr. Graham, Professor of Chemistry at IJniversity College. After exliaustive experiments on the periods during which skeletal muscles kejjt in various saline combinations retained their direct faradic excitability, he classifies them in the following order and then proceeds to describe his experiments on the contractions of skeletal muscle in saline solutions: — ' We see then that these solutions in respect of tlieir efficiency to sustain contractility' stand in the following order. Saline solution is the least effective, next follows saline containing sodium bicarbonate, then phosphate of lime saline, next phosphate of lime saline containing potassium chloride. Phosphate of lime saline containing potassium cliloride and phosphate of lime saline containing potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate sustain contractility about an equal time. Phosphate of lime saline sustains contractility longer than saline solution containing sodium bicarbonate.’ ‘ Now this being the order of their efficiency as circulating fluids for the heart, it would appear that lime and potash salts are as necessary to the metabolism of muscle at rest as to the metabolism occurriuD' durino- muscular contraction. Another circumstance however explains in part the efficacy of linu‘ and potassium salts in sustaining contractility in Cjuiescent muscle. I noticed in the muscles placed in saline active contractions. This was much more apparent in muscles that were partially detached, and especially noticeable in the sartorius when torn from the rest of tlie muscles and attached only by its lower end. Now these contractions musi consume the energy of the muscles and hasten exhausfioTi and the advent of rigor mortis. In February I commenced a further series of experiments regarding the effect of saline solution and saline solution containing other salts to ])roduce contractions. 1. Foi permission to make tliese copiou.s extracts, and to reproduce tlie accompanjaug- traces, the thanks of the writer arc due to Prof. .T. X. Laug-lev the Editor of the Journn] of PJjjjsiologtj.