Aristotle account of the heart
6 December 2013
Aristotle’s account of the Cardio Vascular system Aristotle’s description of phenomena in the living world, in particular animal anatomy and the causes of natural processes in the body, were far more advanced than that of his predecessors. His value of empirical research aided and ultimately enabled him to study a variety of natural phenomena. In this paper, I will focus on Aristotle’s account of the anatomy of the heart and its relation with a network of other organs (modernly known as the cardio vascular system) such as the veins and arteries and their relation to the respiratory functions of organisms. The cardio vascular model that Aristotle describes in works such as The History of Animals and The Parts of Animals can be regarded as one of the earliest and most accurate representation of the cardio vascular system that continues to be used in many fields of study. Aristotle’s cardio vascular model and history will be discussed with emphasis on his claim that the human heart has three ventricles. His detailed descriptions of the morphology of the right atrium in addition to three distinct heart cavities corresponding to the left atrium and right and left ventricles helped shape the belief that the vasculature had its starting point in the heart and was distributed all over the body. In addition, Aristotle’s account of the respiratory system will also be discussed with respect to his conception of the cardiovascular system. The detailed observations and experiments that Aristotle conducted on the human heart and related organs have greatly influenced the development of anatomy. Aristotle came to the conclusion that the human heart had three ventricles and this assertion has been the focus of much debate over the possibility of its various interpretations and meanings. In his work The History of Animals he states that the heart has three cavities, and it lies above the lung at the point where the windpipe divides into two, and has a
Aristotle’s account of the Cardio Vascular system Aristotle’s description of phenomena in the living world, in particular animal anatomy and the causes of natural processes in the body, were far more advanced than that of his predecessors. His value of empirical research aided and ultimately enabled him to study a variety of natural phenomena. In this paper, I will focus on Aristotle’s account of the anatomy of the heart and its relation with a network of other organs (modernly known as the cardio vascular system) such as the veins and arteries and their relation to the respiratory functions of organisms. The cardio vascular model that Aristotle describes in works such as The History of Animals and The Parts of Animals can be regarded as one of the earliest and most accurate representation of the cardio vascular system that continues to be used in many fields of study. Aristotle’s cardio vascular model and history will be discussed with emphasis on his claim that the human heart has three ventricles. His detailed descriptions of the morphology of the right atrium in addition to three distinct heart cavities corresponding to the left atrium and right and left ventricles helped shape the belief that the vasculature had its starting point in the heart and was distributed all over the body. In addition, Aristotle’s account of the respiratory system will also be discussed with respect to his conception of the cardiovascular system. The detailed observations and experiments that Aristotle conducted on the human heart and related organs have greatly influenced the development of anatomy. Aristotle came to the conclusion that the human heart had three ventricles and this assertion has been the focus of much debate over the possibility of its various interpretations and meanings. In his work The History of Animals he states that the heart has three cavities, and it lies above the lung at the point where the windpipe divides into two, and has a