Cardiologists are specialists who are certified to diagnose, treat

and prevent disease of the heart, arteries and veins. Cardiologists

are certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
after meeting educational and practice requirements. Before
being certified as cardiologists, those aspiring to the specialty
must be certified in internal medicine. Then cardiologists can
become certified in one of several cardiology subspecialties,
including transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, clinical
cardiac electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.
A common piece of medical equipment used to evaluate the
circulatory system is the electrocardiogram. Also called an EKG
or ECG, it measures how fast the heart is beating, whether the
rhythm of the heartbeat is steady or irregular, and the strength
and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of
the heart.
Sphygmomanometers and stethoscopes are used to measure
blood pressure and a pulse meter can monitor heart rate, rhythm
and dropped beats.
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You use your eyes to see, your ears to hear and your
muscles to do the heavy lifting. Well, sort of. In fact, most
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Find out how much you know about the body's parts and what
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Milestones
Some milestones in the history and study of the circulatory
system include:
16th century B.C.: The Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian
medical document, provides some of the earliest writing on
the circulatory. It describes the connection of the heart to the
arteries.
6th century B.C.: Ayurvedic physician Sushruta in ancient
India describes how vital fluids circulate through the body.
2nd century A.D.: the Greek physician Galen documents
how blood vessels carry blood, identifies venous (dark red)
and arterial (brighter and thinner) blood and notes that each
has a separate functions.
1628: William Harvey, an English physician, first describes
blood circulation.
1706: Raymond de Vieussens, a French anatomy professor,
first describes the structure of the heart's chambers and
vessels.
1733: Stephen Hales, an English clergyman and scientist,
measures blood pressure for the first time.
1816: Rene T.H. Laennec, a French physician, invents the
stethoscope.
1902: American physician James B. Herrick first documents
heart disease resulting from hardening of the arteries.
1903: Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven invents the
electrocardiograph.
1952: The first successful open heart surgery takes place by
F. John Lewis, an American surgeon.
1967: South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performs
the first transplant of a whole heart from one person to
another.
1982: American physician Robert Jarvik designs the first
artificial heart and American surgeon Willem DeVries
implants it.
Related:
Image Gallery: The BioDigital Human
Facts, Functions & Diseases:
Digestive System
Endocrine System
Immune System
Integumentary System (Skin)
Lymphatic System
Muscular System
Nervous System
Reproductive System
Respiratory System
Skeletal System
Urinary System