The fascinating discovery of the electrical system in the heart: A story telling

Gaetano Thiene; Cristina Basso; Andrea Cozza; Alberto Zanatta

doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.04.076

The fascinating discovery of the electrical system in the heart: A story telling

Int J Cardiol. 2020 Oct 15:317:81-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.04.076. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Authors

Gaetano Thiene¹, Cristina Basso², Andrea Cozza³, Alberto Zanatta⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Italy. Electronic address: gaetano.thiene@unipd.it.
² Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Italy; Cardiovascular Pathology Unit - Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Italy.
³ Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Italy.
⁴ University Museums Centre - CAM, University of Padua, Italy.

PMID: 32348811
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.04.076

Abstract

The existence of an intrinsic electrical platform in the heart, taking over the impulse formation and transmission, is a relatively recent discovery. Leonardo Da Vinci in 1510 wrote that the heart is self-moving. Harvey in 1628 observed that the cardiac movement is seen to begin from the auricles. Purkinje in 1839 discovered at the microscope a network of large, pale muscular cells in the ventricles. His in 1893 showed a muscle bundle connecting the atrial to the ventricular septum. Tawara in 1906 found a node at the atrial origin of His bundle. Finally, Keith and Flack observed a structure of primitive muscular fibres at the sino-atrial junction, where "the dominating rhythm of the heart is believed to normally arise".

Keywords: AV node; Bundle branches; Electric conduction system; His bundle; Purkinje fibres; Sino-atrial node.

MeSH terms

Bundle of His*
Electricity
Heart Atria
Heart Conduction System*
Heart Ventricles