Abstract
WHILE it is obvious that the capillary circulation is subject to local physiological control, there is much difference of opinion as to how this is achieved. In particular, it is still undecided whether or not the capillaries exhibit independent contractility and, if so, whether this is due to the presence of special perivascular contractile cells. Hitherto the capillary bed has been regarded as a network of capillaries of uniform structure fed by arterioles and drained by venules. Recent work, however, particularly by R. Chambers and B. W. Zweifach, has shown that the capillary bed comprises several different types of vessels which can now be separately defined, and each of which plays a particular part in the total functional organisation of the capillary bed.
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Organisation of the Capillary Circulation. Nature 160, 443–444 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160443b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160443b0