DISEASES OP THE CIRCULATORY 

 APPARATUS. 



EXAMINATION OP THE CIRCULATORY APPARATUS. 



Examination of the Heart. 



Anatomy op the Heart. The aormal position of the heart 

 may be seen in Fig. 39. It lies oq the left side, but not so far as 

 is seen in other domestic animals. The direction of its axis is 

 not vertical, but extends slightly in a posterior direction, with a 

 slight curve toward the left side. The base of the heart extends 

 from the third to the seventh rib; the apex extends backward 

 toward the diaphragm. Superiorly the heart lies close to the large 



Fig. 39. 



The heart in position ; a, right ventricle ; b, left ventricle ; c. left auricle ; d, right aunciti 

 /, pulmonary artery ; g, aorta ; *, oesophagus ; I, diaphragm. 



vessels — the trachea and the oesophagus — and lies close on all sides 

 to the lobes of the lungs. In its inferior portion it lies close to 

 the chest-wall, extending from the third to the seventh rib. In 

 the heart-sections we find the following arrangement : the right 

 section lies in a right anterior direction from its axis and the 

 left lies in a left posterior direction. 



The size of the heart varies greatly in different animals, even 

 when in a normal condition, and it is, therefore, impossible to lay 



(137) 



