Machina Carnis : The Biochemistry of Muscular Contraction in Its Historical Development (Paperback)

Preface; 1. Bringing muscles into focus: the first two millennia; 2. Muscle metabolism after the Chemical Revolution; 3. the relationship between mechanical events, heat production and metabolism; 4. The influence of brewing science on the study of muscle glycolysis; 5. The discovery of phosphagen and adenosinetriphosphate; 6. Adenosinetriphosphate as fuel and as phosphate-carrier; 7. Early studies of msucle structure and theories of contraction; 8. Interaction of actomyosin and ATP; 9. Some theories of contraction mechanism; 10. On myosin, actin and tropomyoson; 11. The sliding mechanism; 12. How does the sliding mechanism work?; 13. Excitation, excitation-contraction coupling and relaxation; 14. Happenings in intact muscle; 15. Rigor and the chemical; changes responsible for its onset; 16. Respiration; 17. Oxidative phosphorylation; 18. The regulation of carbohydrate metabolism for energy supply to the muscle machine; 19. A comparative study of the striated muscle of vertebrates; 20. Enzymic and other effects of denervation, cross-innervation and repeated stimulation; 21. some aspects of muscle disease; 22. Contraction in muscles of invertebrates; 23. Vertebrate smooth muscle; 24. Energy provision and contactile proteins in non-muscular functions; References.