RT Journal
A1 DAVIS L
T1 MUscle tone in decerebrate rigidity
JF Archives of Surgery
JO Archives of Surgery
YR 1929
FD April 1
VO 18
IS 4
SP 1687
OP 1698
DO 10.1001/archsurg.1929.01140130787052
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1929.01140130787052
AB Tonus is a property of muscle which exists and concerning which much has been written; but a clear definition of muscle tone is not yet available. This lack of definiteness has resulted in controversies over apparently similar, but actually different, properties of muscle. It is not known what relationship exists between tension, elasticity, extensibility, resiliency and tone; yet all these properties of muscle have been spoken of as muscle tonus. Perhaps all these properties constitute tone.Peculiarly enough, in spite of the lack of an accurate definition, there is a conception among investigators of what is spoken of as muscle tone. Dependent on one's point of view is this conception. Galen spoke of muscle tone as an "active posture." Johannes Müller employed the term to mean a slight contractile tension present in a normal muscle at rest. Sherrington's school believe that it is the result of a proprioceptive reflex and