nduce paralysis in such nerves and then to cure them--such
experiments will lead to discoveries that may ultimately enable
physicians to treat more rationally than they do, the various forms of
paralysis now regarded as incurable."

MIMOSA AND MAN

Dr. Bose showed not only that the nervous impulse in plant and in man is
exalted or inhibited under identical conditions but carried the
parallelism very far and pointed out the blighting effects on life of a
complete seclusion and protection from the world outside. "A plant
carefully protected under glass from outside shocks", says Sir Jagadis
"looks sleek and flourishing; but its higher nervous function is then
found to be atrophied. But when a succession of blows is rained on this
effete and bloated specimen, the shocks themselves create nervous
channels and arouse anew the deteriorated nature. And is it not shocks
of adversity, and not cotton-wool protection, that evolve true
manhood?"[25]

ROYAL SOCIETY

Having found that his investigation on Mimosa had broken down the
barriers which separated kindred phenomena, Dr. Bose next communicated
the results of his wonderful researches to the Royal Society. His paper
was read, at a meeting of the Society, held on the 6th March 1913. The
Royal Society _now_ found that Dr. Bose had rendered the seemingly
impossible, possible--had made the plant tell its own story by means of
its self-made records. It could no longer withhold the recognition which
was his due. The barred gates, at last, opened and the paper of Dr. Bose
"On an Automatic Method, for the investigation of the Velocity of
Transmission of Excitation in Mimosa" found publication in the
"Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society" in Vol. 204, Series B.

HIS FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS

Dr. Bose next pursued with great vigour his investigations on the
Irritability of Plants. By making the plant tell its own story, by means
of its self-made records, he showed that there is hardly any phenomenon
of irritability observed in the animal which is not also found in the
plant and that the various manifestations of irritability in the plant
are identical with those in the animal and that many difficult problems
in Animal Physiology find their solution in the experimental study of
corresponding problems under simpler conditions of vegetable life.

HOURS OF SLEEP OF THE PLANT

It may be mentioned that Dr. Bose showed one very remarkable fact--from
the summaries of t