Abstract
THE ‘all or nothing’ hypothesis represents such a clear-cut principle in elementary physiology that it seems a pity that the ambiguous phrase, ‘all or none’ should so often be used instead. We have been accustomed to suppose that a given physiological unit, or set of units, shows either ‘all or nothing’ of the response it can make under given conditions; also that additions to this response, under the same conditions but with greater stimulus, can be made only by co-operation (or, in a special context, ‘recruitment’) of additional units. This meaning is actually excluded by the nickname ‘all or none’ because we have supposed that ‘some’ units, few or many, fill in intervening stages of intensity of the response.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WALLER, W. ‘All or None’: a Question of Nomenclature. Nature 128, 70 (1931). https://doi.org/10.1038/128070c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/128070c0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.