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How did Carl Ludwig keep frog hearts alive outside the body?

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Carl Ludwig was the first scientist to successfully keep animal organs alive in vitro (outside the body) by using a technique known as perfusion. In 1856, he achieved this by perfusing frog hearts with a solution that approximated the chemical composition of blood plasma.1

This method allowed the heart to continue functioning outside the organism, providing a vital experimental model for studying the cardiovascular system and cardiac muscle action.1