The sensitivity of the white rat to electric shock: Threshold and skin resistance

The threshold of sensitivity to electric shock in the case of 45 white rats, 1-6 mo. old, averaged 0.077 [plus or minus] 0.02 ma. direct current. Measurements were made while the current was flowing through the animal''s body across a Cu grid. On the basis of a comparison with human reactions it is suggested that the upper intensity limit for experimentation with white rats should lie between 0.5 and 1.0 ma. of d.c. impulses. The av. electrical skin resistance of 77 rats, 1-6 mos. old, was slightly above 300,000 ohms with an av. deviation of about 185,000 ohms. The variations between the animals had a range of about; 1,000,000 ohms, lying roughly between 100,000 and 1,100,000 ohms. In 12 rats the variations between 2 measurements with the same animal averaged about 200,000 ohms and ranged between 15,000 and 550,000 ohms.