contrac'tion. 1

The act of contracting. 2. The state of being contracted. 3. In physiology, the sum of the phenomena which accompany a single muscular movement, anodal closure c. See under anodal. anodal opening c. See under anodal. breaking c. The contraction that takes place in a muscle through which a galvanic current is pa ing at the moment of breaking the circuit, cathodal closure c. See cathodal closure clonus, under clonus, cathodal duration c. A contraction occurring at the cathode and persisting during the entire time of closure of the circuit. The same as cathodal closure tetanus, cathodal opening c. See cathodal opening clonus. c. ring. Syn.: Bandl's ring. A circular ridge of ti ue in the parturient uterus that separates the upper contractile portion of the uterus from the lower pa ive portion. When an obstruction exists to the pa age of the child, this ring may be felt as a transverse ridge, extending acro the lower portion of the uterus. Dupuytren's c. A c. of the fingers and palm.