West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-05-07
The HUMAN HEART
Work Of This Marvellous Twofold
Pumping Machine.
HAS A LANGUAGE OF ITS OWN.
In Tones That Cannot Be Misundsr-
stood II Tells Whether u is Strong
or Weak and IL Ailins Notes the
Place and Cause OF Its Troubles.

Place and Cause OF Its Troubles.
When the doctor puts his ear Ia your
chest or applies the stcthoscope. which
only conducts the sounds more clearly.
what does he hear: The sound OF
the normal heart is like the prouuncia-
ton OF the syllables 'lub-dup" close To
each other. These sylhbies are heard
I'm quick succession. and then comes
a pause-the dnstole or resting period
or the great force pump. The sound
''lubr Is that OF the blood lowing
out under muscular pressure. ana the
dup II the closing OF the nortic
valves IL this sound dup Is not
heard II shows that the aortic valves
are destroyed or not working
The latest explanation OF this first
sound. "lub." IL that II is caused by
the muscular contraction OF the heart
and the impulse or the heart against
the chest wall. The irst sound Is
heard more clearly over the apex of
the heart the point OF the chest near.
est to the ventricle rhe second sound
Is best heard over the aortic valves
which lie beneath the left side of the
cheSt JUST Dy the third rib.
III you close u door with great force
the slam Is very loud. and IL the ten
sion In the aorta is very high the
sound dup Is louder than usual
This IL most important to the physi-
clan. for he then knows that there is
high arterial tension. due to what Is
termed an aneurism.
IL thn sound A.. xr.af.z. 49,.
normal IL would indicate a weakness
OF the heart muscle and this IL the case
In fevers. Iu typhoid fever. for In.
stance, when this first sound IL very
weak. we know that the heart Is 40
weak as to make the case alarming.
heart is said to have "murmur''
when the sharp dup" disappears aud
the listening physician hears a softened
noise called a "murmur." IL you try
TO say dup" with your lips open the
sound uttered will be like that the doc.
tor hears In the diseased heart whose
valves do not close properly The
sound produced is something like
'duff." and If the mitral valve does not
work well the first syllable Is softened
into "lufr." If both valves work poor.
ly the sound is 'luff-duff-luff-duff.'
but II both valves are very much out
Of order the sonDd In like that OF
bellows. "ohOoho''
Most persons speak or the heart as
IL IL were II single organ. but actually
1t is two hearts joined together. the
right and the left heart. The right
sends the blood through the lungs 80
that it may be aerated. or acted upon
by the oxygen In the Inhaled air. while
the left heart sends the blood through
the body I'm order to nourish the lis.
sues
Both OF these hearts receive the
blood from the large veins into the
auricles which by contracting send
the blood on into the ventricles. and
when these powerful muscles contract
the right ventricle pumps the blood
into the pulmonary artery on the way
TO the lungs and from the left ven
tricle Into the aorta. which distributes
the blood all over the body. 80 that
after having noiIrisbed the nerves and
muscles II returns through the veins
to the heart. there to be pumped into
the lungs for publication by the oxy.
gen before again passing through the
sytsem
The difference In the sounds OF the
right and left ventricles is traced to
the difference IN resistance or the aorta
and the pulmonary artery. The pul-
monary artery resists with only one
third the strength Of the aorta. so the
pumping force required Is less and the
noise OF the closing gates is that much
less
10 is true, then. that when the physi
clan listens 10 the beating OF pa,
TENTS heart through his stethoscope
the heart speaks 10 him In uumIstak.
able language. When II plainly says
"lub-dup" he knows that all is well
with this important organ. and he pats
the patient on the shoulder saying.
Nothing serious: yOu'll be all right I'm
day or two" When. however. the
heart says "lub-dun" he knows that
the aOrtic valve is not working prop.
erly md takes the proper steps TO cor.
rect II. When the heart says "luH-dupr
be Is sure that the mitraI valves are
out OF order. and he tries to reach
them
When the heart says "lun-duT' he
draws solemn face for both valves
are ont Of order. and when II says
"oho-Oho" he digs down into his bag
and goes to work at once. for all Is rad
ically wrong Detroit News Tribune