Rolf Niedergerke (1921–2011) worked principally to elucidate the links between excitation and contraction in muscle, especially cardiac muscle.

His 1954 Nature paper with Andrew Huxley – the first by either on muscle – described in clear terms the sliding filament mechanism of muscle contraction, now acknowledged as the paradigm for all forms of cellular motility. He was both a consummate experimentalist and a scrupulous reporter of his science.

Rolf was elected a Member of The Society in 1959 and an Honorary Member in 1987.

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