Some Aspects of Circulatory Stability

Abstract

Based on a dissertation read before the Society on 11th February, 1966.

The secrets of the circulatory system taxed the imaginations and resources of workers in every field of medicine long before even William Harvey produced his classical treatise in 1628 . Now , in 1966, the basic anatomy of the circulatory system is widely accepted but the relative importance of various homeostatic mechanisms in the patho-physiology of this system is still the subject of constant debate; this is no mere ‘academic exercise’, for the disorders of the circulatory system are becoming major problems throughout the world and they merit careful consideration. Nevertheless this dissertation is not a review. I attempt to outline a few aspects of the subject which are of particular interest, and so well accepted and established concepts are included along with some more recent work.