Some observations on the refractory period of the heart

Ever since the introduction of the conception of circus movement in auricular fibrillation and auricular flutter and the introduction of quinidine for their treatment, the refractory period has assumed an increasingly important ró le in understanding the pathology and the therapeutics of many disorders of cardiac contraction. A thorough knowledge of its physiology, therefore, is of great importance. Unfortunately, however, comparatively little has been done in this direction. The object of the present investigation is to study the refractory period of the frog's heart under several experimental conditions and its relation to other phenomena associated with cardiac contraction. The subject matter will be considered under the following headings:- I. The effect of variations in the diastolic filling on the durations of the refractory period and of the mechanical response. II. The effect of various ions on the duration of the refractory period and on the mechanical response. III. The effect of rate of stimulation on the durations of the refractory period and of the mechanical response. IV. The relation of the refractory period to other phenomena associated with contraction.

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Edinburgh

Year dc:date.issued

1929

Author dc:creator

• Tso, Ta-Ming

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/34260

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:era.ed.ac.uk:1842/34260