Abstract
Electrical Phenomena in Heart Muscle During Activity
J. A. E. EYSTBB, in a paper read at the Autumn Meeting of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences held during October 13–15, dealt with the electrical potentials which develop in the heart in the interval immediately preceding and during the contraction of the organ, and their relation to the contraction process. Potential–time curves of two types, unipolar and differential, are recorded by means of direct current amplifiers and cathode ray oscillographs, along with a constant reference curve. The characteristics of these curves and their relation to each other and to the onset of contraction in the various localized regions of the heart will be discussed. The electrical phenomena are characterized by their polar distribution. Regions of positive and negative potentials arise simultaneously, undergo growth and decline, and a certain shift in their spatial relations during the action potential period. It is shown that the onset of contraction in any region is coincident with the maximum flow of electrical current in the region, established by neighbouring regions in which the potentials are respectively above and below the potential of resting muscle.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RESEARCH ITEMS. Nature 148, 664–665 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/148664a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/148664a0