A Review of the Technical Methods of Demonstrating the Circulation of the Heart

Many different methods have been employed in the anatomic study of the blood vessels, and all of these have been applied at one time or another in the study of the coronary circulation. The most important of these procedures may be grouped under the following headings: Dissection. Intravascular injection of dyes and other substances without clearing, roentgenography or corrosion. Serial sections. Impregnation methods. Injection of an opaque substance followed by roentgenography. Injection of a suitable mass followed by clearing. Injection of a comparatively stable mass followed by maceration or corrosion. REVIEW OF TECHNICAL METHODS Dissection, in the hands of Galen, Vieussens and Haller, gave the first knowledge of the blood supply of the heart. This method, although its limitations are at once apparent, has been and always will be utilized by every earnest student of the coronary circulation. A systematic consideration of this field cannot be complete without careful