The Washington times., 1933-09-08
Secrets OF"
cath ..
By LOUIS E. BISCH. MD. Ph.D.
How the Heart Works

OF all the organs the heart
is the only one that we can
hear. Small wonder then that
we so often worry about 1t,
fearing that it is not beating
as it should or that even, per-
haps, it will presently stop al
together.
knowledge as to how the i.
heart works should, however,
help to diSpel the many wrong
conclusions that people arrive
at in reference to this organ.
What is more, it should be 2
pointed out that the heart is
markedly influenced by the ner"r
vous system, especially by.
thought processes. In conse-
quence, the more you worry
about your heart the faster and
louder will be it's beat. -,
That, in effect. is what pal
pitation is-a consciousness or
awareness Of the heart beat.
And the more often you feel
your pulse and count the i'm
pulses the worse they get.
The heart is a muscular or.
gan and a strong one. This +
muscle is unlike any other in
the body. When it starts to
contract it must contract all the
way. so to speak, to completion.
Heart contractions force the
blood from one chamber of the
heart to another. OF these
there are four, a right auricle
and ventricle, and a left auricle
and ventricle.
The blood from the system is
accumulated and enters the
right auricle. Next it is forced
into the right ventricle which
lies below it. From there it is
forced through the lungs and
back to the heart again, this
time into the left auricle. From
the left auricle a contraction
forces the blood mass into the
left yentricle, and from there it
passes into the aorta and again
into the system.
Valves are to be found sepa-
rating the various chambers of
the heart and the purpose Of
these is to prevent the blood
from flowing in a reverse direc.
ton.
When the heart Is normal its
contraction sounds resemble
the word "lubb-dup." The first
sound, or "lubb," is a rather
long and booming sound. The
second, the dup" is sudden,
short and sharp. These sounds
are produced by the hearts con.
traction and the closing of the
valves.
When an individual is said to
have a heart "murmur," 1t
means that one or more valves
do not close completely. This
produces a muffled sound, due
to the fact that some of the
blood rushes backwards into the
chamber from which it is being
expelled.
Heartbeats are rhythmical
and automatic. They vary in
rate during the day, this being
influenced by exercise, emotion,
sleep, tobacco and the food
eaten.
Two sets of nerves govern
the heart rate. One, known as
the Vagus or Pneumogastric.
runs down from the base Of
the brain and slows up the &C
tion. The other set arises from
the so-called sympathetic sys-
tenn, which lies in front Of the
spine, and these fibers increase
the rapidity Of the heart. The
two systems offset each other
and make for smoothness of
contraction.
The trained ear Of the physi-
clan, plus the aid given by his
stethoscope, can tell whether
the heart is beating as 1t should.
In case Of doubt he can have
recourse to a highly sensitive
electrical device, called the
electrocardiograph. This de-
tects minute irregularities which.
escape the ability Of the hui
man ear.
What we must never do is
worry about our heart, for this
always affects it badly. PERI
odic examinations by doctor
competent in this line of work
L. hnununf. ndnieo hln Than 1ua.