The heart acts as a pump to drive blood all over the body. It is located in the upper chest, between the lungs. It is protected by the ribcage. The heart is made of very strong cardiac muscle that can continuously pump blood. The heart is a double pump, separated into a left side and a right side by the septum.
There are four chambers in the heart. The upper chambers are the left and right atria and the lower chambers are the left and right ventricles. Atria and ventricles are separated by valves.
Aorta
Vena cava
Pulmonary artery Pulmonary vein Left atrium Valve Right atrium Valve Left ventricle Vena cava Septum
) Fig. 7.6 The structure of the heart
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6. Name: a. the upper chambers of the heart b. the lower chambers of the heart
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Ibn al-Nafis (1213–1288) was an Arab physician who was the first to describe the blood vessels in the heart. He was born in Syria and later went to Egypt, where he was the Sultan’s personal doctor. In his book Sharah al Tashreeh al Qanoon, Ibn al-Nafis explained how blood flows between the heart and the lungs, which is known as pulmonary circulation.