Summary
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1.
Tetanus toxin was injected into one triceps surae muscle of the cat to obtain symptoms of local tetanus. The contralateral homologous muscle was used as a control.
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2.
The incubation time (20–40 h) was linearly related to the cube root of the weight of cat and showed a constant velocity (7–9 mm/h) of the spreading of toxin in the nerve fibres in cats of various sizes.
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3.
The tension-extension curves of the tetanus muscle showed more stiffness and the base of the exponential passive tension-extension curve was always greater in the tetanus triceps surae muscle than in the control.
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4.
With repeated stretches of the poisoned muscle the total tension-extension curve showed a progressive parallel shift to the right, indicating threshold increase of the stretch reflex. With antagonistic nerve stimulation the curve shiftet to the left (facilitation), which was never seen in the normal state.
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5.
The total tension-extension curve of the poisoned muscle showed a progressive parallel shift to the left during the first few hours after the onset of symptoms, and to the right during selective blocking of the gamma fibres by procaine.
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6.
The cats in which the toxin was injected into the flexor (tibialis anterior) muscle, had a longer incubation time and developed extensor spasticity instead of flexion of the leg.
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7.
It is concluded that bias augmentation of the extensor gamma system is mainly responsible for the muscular stiffness in the early period of local tetanus.
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Takano, K., Henatsch, HD. Tension-extension diagram of the tetanus-intoxicated muscle of the cat. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 276, 421–436 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00499895
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00499895