title: Experimental basis of the hypotheses on the mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction.
abstract: With time clever hypotheses may be accepted as "facts" without being supported by solid experimental evidence. In our opinion this happened with muscle contraction where pure suggestions still occupy the scene and delay the progress of the research. Among these suggestions are: 1. the believe that viscosity is irrelevant in the economy of muscle contraction, 2. the concept of the drag stroke, 3. some interpretations of the significance of the Huxley-Simmons manoeuvre, 4. the definition of the load as a force/cross-section without taking into consideration the possible, divergent effects of the infinite mass x acceleration couples. Technical questions are also raised since it is apparent that measuring equipments interfere with the measure itself.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, Università di Ferrara, Via Borsari 46, 44100 Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grazi
keywords: Huxley - Simmons manoeuvre; acceleration of the load; drag stroke; muscle contraction; viscosity