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Cardiovascular System
It is important to learn
about how your body works. A good place to start
is with your heart, blood, and blood vessels.
Why? These are the components that move the
substances your body makes to where they are
required.
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The Heart
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It's
strong. It's lean. It's a pumping machine! All
About the Heart
Your heart is really a muscle. It's located a
little to the left of the middle of your chest,
and it's about the size of your fist. There are
lots of muscles all over your body - in your
arms, in your legs, in your back, even in your
behind.
The
Life Pump
Science Factfile
Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to
all the cells of the body.
Sizing
Up: The Development of the Human Heart
A human being's heart is about the size of that
human being's fist. As the body develops, the
heart grows at the same rate as the fist. So an
infant's heart and fist are about the same size
at birth.
Structure
of the Human Heart
The heart you see drawn on the average Valentine
is only a rough representation of the actual
structure of the heart. Your heart is actually
shaped more like an upside-down pear.
The
Heart
The heart is a pumping system which intakes
deoxygenated blood through the veins, delivering
it to the lungs for oxygenation and then pumping
it into the various arteries to be transmitted to
where it is needed throughout the body for energy.
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Blood
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Blood
The average adult has about five liters of blood
living inside of their body, coursing through
their vessels, delivering essential elements, and
removing harmful wastes. Without blood, the human
body would stop working.
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Blood Vessels
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Blood
Vessels
Blood vessels in the dermis supply nutrients to
the deep living layers of the epidermis, as well
as to dermis cells. These vessels also play an
important role in the regulation of body
temperature.
Pulmonary
Vein
When the muscular wall of the right ventricle
contacts, the blood inside the heart chamber is
put under more pressure, and the tricuspid valve
closes.
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