>> True - although muscle contraction is a cascade of chemical reactions 
>> triggered by electricity.
> 
> Not really. Nerve activity is a chemical process that dumps charged 
> particles out of one end to start the chemical reaction at the other end 
> of the next nerve cell. But it's primarily chemical as it travels thru 
> the nerve, unlike electricity in wires.
> 
> Novocain, for example, works by suppressing the chemical reaction in the 
> nerve.

The way I read it, nerve conduction works primarily electronically 
(i.e., along the length of the nerve cell body) and uses a chemical 
stage to traverse adjacent nerve cells (i.e., the synaptic junction). 
Electricity is the primary reason why nerves conduct fast - to the point 
that mylinated nerves conduct faster due to the extra insulation.

(The part where the nerve connects to the muscle fiber is also chemical, 
as is the process by which the muscle contracts.)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message