Tribute to Graham W. Mainwood

Abstract

Graham Mainwood's scientific contributions were largely in the field of skeletal and cardiac muscle physiology. His early work centered around the electrophysiology of cardiac muscle and its regulation by the vagus nerve. Later he became interested in the electrophysiology of frog sartorius muscle, which led him to study the mechanism of muscle fatigue. One of his most important contributions was to show the inhibitory effect of reduced extracellular pH on the recovery of force following fatigue. Subsequently, he studied the role of creatine phosphate in the potentiation of the twitch following a tetanus. Finally toward the end of his career he returned to his first love: cardiac muscle. In collaboration with the NMR group at the NRC, Ottawa, Ontario, he worked on finding the optimally constituted cardioplegic solution for the preservation of the human heart for transplant purposes.In addition to these scientific achievements, there were many facets of Graham's character that enriched the lives and work of those he touched. He was always ready with a welcoming smile and some words of encouragement. His formidable intellect was always tempered by personal humility. He was always ready to help, advise, encourage, and provide constructive criticism.He expended great efforts on behalf of Canada's struggling scientific community to raise the level of awareness of the importance of science and its support. He participated extensively in all lobbying activities, wrote articles, and with his insight, helped many to understand difficult ideas, without trivializing them. Besides these serious and time-consuming activities, Graham's wonderful wit also lit up our lives in many ways. Many who attended Canadian Physiological Society meetings in the 1970s and 80s will remember fondly his after-dinner doggerel.Those of us at the University of Ottawa were further privileged in reading many of his acerbic and incisive contributions to an in-house newsletter that also contained some of his delightful cartoons. These stimulated many of us to carry further the struggle against diminishing funding and priority accorded science in Canada since the 1970s by successive governments.At least one of the authors of each of the papers in this special issue has had, at some time, a significant level of interaction with Graham. We will all miss the unique blend of devotion to excellence, intellect, wit, and humanity that was Graham Mainwood. These labours are dedicated to his memory.