Nerve and Muscle

by Richard Keynes

Nerve and Muscle is an introductory textbook for students taking university courses in physiology, cell biology or preclinical medicine. The first edition was highly acclaimed as a readable and concise account of how nerves and muscles work. The book begins with a discussion of the nature of nerve impulses. These electrical events can be understood in terms of the flow of ions through molecular channels in the nerve cell membrane. Then the view changes to consideration of synaptic cell or muscle fibre with which it makes contact. Again ionic channels are involved, but now they are opened by special chemicals released from the nerve cell terminals. The final chapters discuss the nature of muscular contraction, including especially the relations between cellular structure and contractile function. This new edition includes much new material, especially on the molecular nature and characteristics of single ionic channels, while retaining a straightforward exposition of the fundamentals of the subject.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Rev. Richard Keynes, 1777 or 1778-1853

Richard Keynes was born at Salisbury, attended Hoxton College in London, was a minister at Tisbury and Poole; he "died, after a long and severe affliction, on September the 22nd, at the age of seventy-five ..." (J.A. James The dying minister’s reflections and anticipations). He was headmaster of Blandford Academy in Blandford Forum, Dorset, England during the 1820s.

See also: Richard Darwin Keynes

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2nd edition was one of my physiology textbooks from 1st year university in 1983. Very easy to read and understand - fascinating too - read it for pleasure on a Sunday in 2011. Some of it might be out of date? I see there is a currently 4th edition.