The Heart

The Heart

Its average weight is about 340 grams in men and 255 grams in women. The left half and the right half of the heart is divided by a wall called septum. Each half, in turn, is divided into an upper chamber called the auricle and a lower chamber called the  ventricle. The auricle receives blood from the veins and the ventricle pumps blood into the arteries.

Heartbeats In a normal, healthy adult, the contraction and relaxation mechanism of the ventricles results in a heartbeat of about 70-72/min in males and 78-82/min in females.

Functions The functions of the heart are:

(i) to supply pure blood to all parts of the body; (through arteries)

(ii) to collect impure blood from organs/tissues; (through veins)

(iii) to pump impure blood into the lungs for purification; and

(iv) to collect pure blood from the lungs.