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heart: Quick Facts

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Photos and Videos

Medical illustration of the human thoracic cavity showing the heart in situ, surrounded by the lungs, major blood vessels, thymus gland, trachea, pleura, and diaphragm, with each anatomical structure clearly labeled.
Illustration of a human heart in cross section, showing labeled chambers, valves, and major blood vessels including the aorta, pulmonary trunk, vena cavae, atria, and ventricles.
Diagram of the human heart showing the electrical conduction system, with labeled pathways from the sinoatrial node to the atrioventricular node, bundle of His, and bundle branches, along with heart chambers and major vessels.
Illustration of a human heart cross-section showing four chambers-left and right atria and ventricles-with labeled major blood vessels. An inset highlights cardiac muscle tissue, showing myocytes and intercalated disks.
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used to image blood flow to the heart (left) in order to monitor conditions such as ischemia (decreased blood flow). When information gathered via SPECT is combined with imaging information from computed tomography (CT), a fusion image (centre and right) can be obtained.
reptilian heart types
Illustration of a human heart with a magnified callout showing the elongated, striated structure of cardiac muscle cells.
Diagram showing a heart-lung machine connected to the human heart, with labeled tubes carrying deoxygenated blood from the body to the machine for oxygenation and then returning oxygenated blood to the body.
Diagram showing how fatty acids are mobilized from adipose tissue, transported in the bloodstream, processed in the liver, and delivered as energy sources such as fatty acids, triglycerides, and ketones to the muscle, brain, and heart. Arrows illustrate the movement and conversion of lipids, glucose, glycerol, and ketones between adipocytes, liver, muscle, heart, and brain.
Side-by-side diagram showing a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform with labeled P, Q, R, S, and T deflections on the left, and a labeled anatomical illustration of the heart's impulse-conducting system on the right, highlighting nodes, bundle branches, and heart chambers.
The human heart and cardiovascular system explained
Hear an exposed human heart beating
Examine the ecologic importance, life cycle, and anatomical structures of the freshwater crustaceans Daphnia
Function of red blood cells explained
Understanding the human cardiovascular system
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Key People

William Harvey
William Harvey
English physician
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René Laënnec
French physician
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Helen Brooke Taussig
American physician
Starling
Ernest Henry Starling
British physiologist
Purkinje, Jan Evangelista
Jan Evangelista Purkinje
Czech physiologist
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Denton Cooley
American surgeon
Williams
Daniel Hale Williams
American physician
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William Stokes
Irish physician
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Sir James Mackenzie
Scottish physician
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Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud
French physician
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
South African surgeon
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Sir Dominic John Corrigan, Baronet
Irish physician
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Werner Forssmann
German physician
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Robert Remak
German embryologist and neurologist
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James Bryan Herrick
American physician
Einthoven
Willem Einthoven
Dutch physiologist
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André F. Cournand
American physiologist
Flint, Austin
Austin Flint
American physician
Robert Adams, drawing by an unknown artist
Robert Adams
Irish physician

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