Old Article

By Shan Silva No other organ of the body is as wonderful as the heart. It begins beating before birth and continues without interruption for "three score years and ten" and even longer in many cases. It cannot rest for longer than a fraction of a second at anyone time, for if it were to rest for an unbroken period of even three minutes the individual concerned would lose his mental powers; a little longer and the person would die. Because the heart is the "vital organ" and also because of many vague and erroneous ideas held about it, a study of its anatomy and functions and a brief survey of diseases that affect it will be profitable and interesting. There are four chambers in the heart, two above and two below. The upper right chamber receives the impure blood returning from the body through the inferior and superior vena cava. The contraction of the auricle forces the blood to the lower chamber (right ventricle) which in turn sends the blood into the lungs. Return...