A muscle with an attached nerve from a frog's leg contracts in a sealed glass tube. At one end of the glass tube is a pipette containing a drop of water. When the muscle contracts, the drop of water is not forced out. This demonstration by __________ proved embarrassing to the theory of nervous action advanced by _________

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Swammerdam's demonstration was a direct challenge to Descartes' theory of nervous action, which posited that nerves operated through the movement of fluid. Swammerdam showed that muscle contraction did not expel fluid, contradicting Descartes' hydraulic model of nerve function.

A Muscle with an Attached Nerve from a Frog's Leg