XIV. On the arrangement of the muscular fibres in the ventricles of the vertebrate heart, with physiological remarks

Abstract

The principal part of the following communication was presented to the Royal Society of London, in November 1859, and formed the subject of the Croonian Lecture for 1860. An abstract of it was published in the ‘Proceedings’ of the Society for April of that year. It was subsequently withdrawn for extension and revision, and I have to express rny regret that the time occupied in this work has, from various unforeseen causes, been much longer than I anticipated. The paper, as now presented, consists of four parts or sections,—the first section being devoted to the anatomy of the ventricle of the fish; the second to the anatomy of the ventricle of the reptile; the third and fourth treating of the ventricles of the bird and mammal. I have adopted this arrangement, because the structure of the ventricle in the fish and reptile is to a certain extent rudimentary, and a knowledge of it forms an appropriate introduction to the more intricate structure met with in the ventricles of the bird and mammal.