First and last experiments in muscle mechanics

BOOK REVIEWS First and Last Experiments in Muscle Mechanics, by A. V. Hill, xv + 141 pages, 62 illustrations, 3 tables, Cambridge University Press, London, 1970, £2.75. In this book A. V. Hill describes the ideas which governed his experimental approach to muscle physiology. The account begins with the classical paper entitled "'The dynamics of muscular contraction" by Hill and Gasser in 1924. It continues with a consideration of the force-velocity relationship, the intrinsic speed of muscle shortening, the development of active state, the series elastic component and differences in the lengths of sarcomeres

Current Research in Neurosciences. A Volume Commemoratinq the 50th Anniversary of the Graduation ol Ernest A. Spiegel (Bibliotheca Psychiatrica, No. 143) (Aktuelle Fragen der Psychiatrie und Neurologie Topical Problems of Psychiatry and Neurology, No. 10), by H. T. Wycis (Ed.), x v i + 2 0 9 pages, 59 illustrations, 6 tables, Karger, Basle, 1970, Sfr/'DM 59 , US $14.15, £5.90. This volume in the series on "'Topical Problems in Psychiatry and Neurology" commemorates the graduation of Dr. E. A. Spiegel fifty years earlier. It is fitting that the introduction should have been written by Spiegel's colleague in much of his later work, Dr, H. T. Wycis. Although Spiegel is best known for the introduction ofstereotaxic techniques to thalamic surgery in man, Wycis draws attention to many other contributions which have been largely overlooked. These studies, made earlier in Spiegel's career, included extensive investigation of the labyrinth and the effects of strychnine: other observations of fundamental importance were concerned with the EEG and with decerebrate rigidity.

Mu,wle Dis'eases (Proceedings of an International Congress, Milan, 19 21 May, 1969) (International Congress Series, No. 199), by J. N. Walton, N. Canal, G. Scarlato and J. R. W. Gleave (Eds.), xiii+740 pages, illustrated, Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, 1970, US $42.50, £17.80, Dfl 153.. This volume is a report of the proceedings of an International Congress on Muscle Diseases which took place in Milan in May' 1969. The meeting attracted a galaxy of international talent in the field of neuromuscular disorders, and this is reflected in the quality of the communications. There are sections dealing with clinical and histopathological aspects, genetic studies, endocrine and metabolic disorders of muscle, cellular biology, electron microscopy, histochemistry, biochemistry and electrophysiological studies. Professor John Walton is senior editor and was co-chairman with Professor Pinelli. Professor Gastaldi, begetter of the

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in contracted fibres. The material is technical and few concessions are made for readers working in other fields. In partial compensation, the text is enlivened by touches of wry h u m o u r and pleas for further experiments to test key points. The book concludes with the author's splendid anecdotal address to the Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences at Tokyo in 1965. The book will certainly appeal to everyone with an interest in muscle contraction and others will treasure it for its glimpse into the mind of a physiological giant. A. J. MCCOMAS

A bibliography containing 63 of Spiegel's 420 publications is given. Most of the following articles arc written by former colleagues of Spiegel or deal with problems in which he has shown interest. The contributions are arranged in the alphabetical order of the first author's names; they start with a review of the ganglion psalterii by Akert and Steiner and conclude with "The structural and functional trinity of the body, brain and behaviour" by Yakovlev. In between are 4 articles on stereotaxic surgery and papers on the cerebellum, subarachnoid haemorrhage, the retina, vestibular nystagmus, pain, the EEG and epilepsy. Controversy is introduced b 3 G u t m a n n (trophic functions of neurones), O'Leary (origins of cerebellar climbing fibres) and Van Harreveld (fluid shifts). The length and quality, of the articles vary and it is difficult to recommend the book as a scientific investment, because of the diverse nature of its contents. Nevertheless there must be man), former colleagues, pupils and admirers of Spiegel who will welcome this testimonial to a great scientist. A. J. McCoMAs

conference, was President. Professor Walton's recognised efficiency and c o m m a n d of the snbject are evident once again, and the proceedings contain an unusually helpful and informative collection of material. Naturally, the standard of the papers is variable, but the overall performance is excellent. In the electrophysiology section Buchthal and Schmalbruch provide an account of contraction times and fibre types in normal and diseased h u m a n muscle, while Grob and N a m b a report further observations on the mechanism of neuromuscular block in myasthenia gravis and carcinomatous myopathy. Peter. Worsfold and Stempel have shown a significantly increased yield of skeletal muscle mitochondria in thyrotoxic patients: they believe that this explains the hypermetabolism of longstanding h u m a n hyperthyroidism, at least in part. Kakulas reviews the pathogenesis of h u m a n muscle disease with special reference to his own work on cell-mediation in polymyositis: but J. neurol. Sci., 1971, 14:237 242