Gross Anatomical Observations

As reviewed in Chapter 7 with a focus on the issue of insolubility, extensive phenomenological correlations exist between muscle contraction and contraction by model proteins capable of inverse temperature transitions of hydrophobic association. As we proceed to examination of muscle contraction at the molecular level, a brief restatement of those correlations follows with observations of rigor at the gross anatomical level and with related physiological phenomena at the myofibril level. Each of the phenomena, seen in the elastic-contractile model proteins as an integral part of the comprehensive hydrophobic effect, reappear in the properties and behavior of muscle. More complete descriptions with references are given in Chapter 7, sections 7.2.2, and 7.2.3. 

Scientific progress is inexorably linked to the development of new methodologies. In the biological sciences, the past century has witnessed a progression from gross observation and classification to detailed studies of anatomical structure and biochemical processes at a molecular level. This shift in emphasis was made possible by the development of more sensitive and specific analytical techniques. 

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