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How did Carl Ludwig keep frog hearts alive outside the body?
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Physiology
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the power source of many biochemical reactions. It is produced in the cell structures and system listed at the left to energize the important life processes listed on the right. An abbreviated chemical formula of the structure of ATP is also shown. The two high-energy P―O―P bonds are responsible for its power.
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