Published in 1903, this book is a study of the physiology of muscular tissue. It covers the structure and function of muscles in a variety of animals, from insects to mammals. The author, Arthur David Ritchie, was a professor of biology at the University of Kansas and a leading researcher in the field of comparative physiology. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the biology of muscles or the history of science. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A version of the OpenStax text

The Comparative Structure and Function of Muscle is based upon a series of lectures given at the University of Lancaster over the last seven years, and it follows a natural division into structure, electrophysiology and excitation and mechanical activity. Within each section, an attempt is made to cover all muscle types in as wide a range of animals as the literature will allow. This book comprises 10 chapters, with the first one focusing on the fine structure of skeletal muscle. The following chapters then discuss the fine structure of cardiac and visceral muscle; the innervation of muscle; the ionic basis of the resting potential; the action potential and the activation of muscle; electrical activity and electrochemistry of invertebrate skeletal muscle; electrical activity of invertebrate and vertebrate cardiac muscle; the electrical activity and electrochemistry of visceral muscle; the mechanics of muscle; and excitation-contraction coupling and relaxation. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of anatomy and the health sciences.