The conception that skeletal muscle consists of slow-acting and quick-acting elements, commonly described as red and white fibres, is long-standing (Ranvier, 1874). Recent pharmacological and histochemical studies have renewed interest in the subject (Paton & Zaimis, 1952) as has the technique of electromyography, used for example in investigations of postural activity. Following an investigation of the fibre content of the human gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (Walls, 1953), it occurred to us, if current descriptions of its action are correct, that of all the striped musculature of the body the external anal sphincter might be said to be the one most constantly in a state of tonic contraction. This muscle might therefore be expected to exhibit most convincingly the structure of so-called red muscle.The first step therefore was to study the activity of the sphincter in normal subjects. Although workers in the field of electromyography have already seized upon most of the readily accessible surface muscles, only Beck (1930) appears to have studied the anal sphincter in this way. Using a string galvanometer and steel needle electrodes inserted at the muco-cutaneous junction to a depth of 4 cm, Beck studied the effects of distension of the anal canal in a number of dogs and in one man. Briefly his findings were these: during both contraction (shortening) and relaxation (lengthening) of the sphincter action currents were recorded; but once the muscle had become contracted or relaxed the action currents gradually lessened and sometimes disappeared. This observation seemed to Beck to provide evidence for a locking mechanism similar to that noted by Fr6hlich & Meyer (1912) in the mollusc.Beck published only records from dogs but stated that his one human subject gave similar results. His findings are clearly of great interest and well worth while re-investigating with the refined electromyographic apparatus
Few have served the Zoological Society of London longer or more faithfully than Alexander Cave who died on 17 May at the great age of 100.
As a Fellow, his record is outstanding: Member of Council, Vice President, Silver Medallist of the Society, Honorary Research Associate; and withal, an unending stream of original papers on various aspects of comparative anatomy. Unending? Well, almost, for he was still being published in his 95th year. Nor should be forgotten the great volume of work that he did in refereeing papers for the Journal of Zoology– an onerous and time‐consuming task that he dealt with meticulously.
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