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Muscle

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Human Physiology

Abstract

It is only by contracting their muscles that people can interact with their environment. The movements so produced are required for the simplest manual tasks as well as to convey the most subtle thoughts and feelings — by speaking or writing, for instance, or by facial expression and gesture. These muscles constitute by far the most massive organ in the human body, accounting for 40–50% of its weight. Muscles are “machines” that contract by converting chemical energy directly into mechanical energy (work) and heat. The way the muscle machine operates — in particular, the mechanism of shortening and force development — can now be explained in considerable detail at the molecular level and on the basis of physical and chemical laws.

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References

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Authors
  1. J. C. Rüegg
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physiologisches Institut der Universität, Röntgenring 9, D-8700, Würzburg, Germany

    Robert F. Schmidt Ph.D. (Professor Dr. med.) (Professor Dr. med.)

  2. Physiologisches Institut der Universität, Saarstraße 21, D-6500, Mainz, Germany

    Gerhrad Thews

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Rüegg, J.C. (1989). Muscle. In: Schmidt, R.F., Thews, G. (eds) Human Physiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73831-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73831-9_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-73833-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-73831-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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