aNATOMY & pHYSIOLOGY
"DESCRIPTIVE ANATOMY IS TO PHYSIOLOGY as geography is to history"
--Claude Bernard
Heart Anatomy: The anatomy of our cardiovascular system can be divided into two main categories: our blood vessels and our heart.
In our heart, there are two sides and four main chambers that work together to pump blood throughout our body. The right side of our heart is the receiving end of oxygen-poor blood, blood that is sent through the right atrium and into the right ventricle on its journey to become oxygenated. The right ventricle then pumps blood to the lungs through the pulmonary veins, where it then reaches the alveoli and carbon dioxide waste is exchanged for oxygen.
After the oxygen exchange is completed, the blood then travels to the left side of our heart. The left side of our heart is responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout our body; that way, the oxygen-rich blood will be able to reach cells that need the oxygen to continue doing their respective jobs. The journey to start this process begins with oxygen-rich blood entering the left side of our heart through the left atrium, and then being pumped into the left ventricle. This chamber of the heart is responsible for the majority of blood circulation, sending the blood through the aorta and to the rest of the body, ready to start the process anew.
In our heart, there are two sides and four main chambers that work together to pump blood throughout our body. The right side of our heart is the receiving end of oxygen-poor blood, blood that is sent through the right atrium and into the right ventricle on its journey to become oxygenated. The right ventricle then pumps blood to the lungs through the pulmonary veins, where it then reaches the alveoli and carbon dioxide waste is exchanged for oxygen.
After the oxygen exchange is completed, the blood then travels to the left side of our heart. The left side of our heart is responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout our body; that way, the oxygen-rich blood will be able to reach cells that need the oxygen to continue doing their respective jobs. The journey to start this process begins with oxygen-rich blood entering the left side of our heart through the left atrium, and then being pumped into the left ventricle. This chamber of the heart is responsible for the majority of blood circulation, sending the blood through the aorta and to the rest of the body, ready to start the process anew.
Heart Anatomy Video: this video illustrates how blood flows throughout our heart to allow our bodies to continue living, explaining the process in detail and demonstrating the importance of our cardiovascular system.
Blood Vessel Anatomy: Just as our heart plays a crucial role in the cardiovascular system, so does the network of blood vessels that transports blood from the tips of our toes to the top of our heads.
There are three main types of blood vessels in our bodies: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The arteries are a system of vessels that carry blood away from the heart and to the other parts of the body, and are composed primarily of untiring smooth muscle.
The second component of the blood vessels system are the veins. Veins carry blood to the heart from the body, and are composed of smooth muscle, but on a considerably lesser extent than arteries, relying mostly on outside skeletal muscle for venous return to the heart.
The third and final component of the blood vessels system are the capillaries. Capillaries are the blood vessels that allow the oxygen brought by the arteries to be given to the cells, and also allows the veins to receive the waste carbon dioxide that the cells produce. Oxygen exchange, a crucial part of the cardiovascular system, is only possible because of the extremely thin capillaries.
There are three main types of blood vessels in our bodies: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The arteries are a system of vessels that carry blood away from the heart and to the other parts of the body, and are composed primarily of untiring smooth muscle.
The second component of the blood vessels system are the veins. Veins carry blood to the heart from the body, and are composed of smooth muscle, but on a considerably lesser extent than arteries, relying mostly on outside skeletal muscle for venous return to the heart.
The third and final component of the blood vessels system are the capillaries. Capillaries are the blood vessels that allow the oxygen brought by the arteries to be given to the cells, and also allows the veins to receive the waste carbon dioxide that the cells produce. Oxygen exchange, a crucial part of the cardiovascular system, is only possible because of the extremely thin capillaries.
Heart Pumping Video: This video shows how blood flows through the heart and all of its individual chambers. It helps explain the function of each individual chamber, and provides an extremely accurate depiction of how a real human heart would look like when it pumps.
"It is not enough to know the typography of a country to understand its history, so also it is not enough to KNOW THE ANATOMY OF ORGANS to UNDERSTAND THEIR FUNCTION"
--Claude Bernard
Gallery Image Captions: The images above this text are all microscopically magnified slides containing pieces of the tissue found in our heart and blood vessels. These strips show what the actual tissue the organs are composed of looks like, such as in the first image above, where striations in the muscle tissue are evident. These images allow us to understand the cardiovascular system on a level unreachable by the human eye.