Muscle mechanics and energetics: A comparative view.

Papers appearing in the journal 'Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology' are based on presentations at a symposium entitled Muscle Mechanics and Energetics: A Comparative View. The symposium was held in Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate the retirement of college teacher Colin Gibbs from Monash University in Gippsland, Victoria. Gibbs is a graduate of the Sydney, New South Wales-based University of Sydney in pharmacology and biochemistry, completing a PhD in 1964 in the area of cardiac electrophysiology. Colin was awarded one of the first Overseas Research Fellowships by the National Heart Foundation of Australia and this supported his post-doctoral training at the Heart Research Laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles. Although Colin's primary focus has been on the energetics of mammalian cardiac muscle and extending the knowledge gained through research in this area to understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of the human heart, his interests span all muscle types. During his career, Colin has also published several important papers on aspects of the energetics of both skeletal and smooth muscle.