Schematic sectional view the human heart and explain
Answers
Introduction to the Heart
The human heart is one of the most important organs responsible for sustaining life. It is essentially a muscle, about the size of a clenched fist.
The human heart functions throughout a person’s lifespan, pumping almost 200 million litres of blood. A human heart roughly beats 2.5 billion times during a human lifespan, making it one of the most robust and hardest working muscle in the human body.
Besides humans, most other animals also possess a heart that pumps blood throughout their body. Even invertebrates such as grasshoppers possess a “heart”, though they don’t function the same way a human heart does.
Where is the Heart Located?
The heart in human body is located between the lungs, behind and slightly towards the left of the sternum (breastbone).
Two-thirds of the heart is situated on the left side of the chest and the remaining part is balanced on the right side of the chest.
Functions of the Human Heart
The function of the heart in any organism is to maintain a constant flow of blood throughout the body. This replenishes oxygen and circulates nutrients among the cells and tissues. And because the human heart is a homologous organ, it functions no differently from any other vertebrates that possess a heart. Following are the main functions of the heart:
- One of the primary functions of the human heart is to pump blood throughout the body.
- In the process, the human heart also aids the body’s transport system – blood, by delivering oxygen, hormones, glucose etc to various parts of the body.
- The heart also ensures that adequate blood pressure is maintained.
- There are two types of circulation within the body, namely pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation.
