> CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ BIOLOGY: couRSEB

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. the blood flows into the vent .
from the atr~a, the walls of the ventricles co ticiea,

9.2 The heart The muscle:

This pumP
::e blood out of the heart. The:raei.
gly producing a large force th llsctc
ts stron , . h h at s,..
contrac h blood inside t e eart and Pu -'tllt,._
The function of the heart is to pump blood urou nd
the body. It is made of a special type of n1uscle that inwards°:·~ :he left ventricle is pumped intoshesit~
contracts and relaxes regularly, throughout life. Th~ ~1°\/ artery that takes the blood aroun~he aoti'4
1
This 1_8 a !ntricle pumps blood into the PUltn hc1-in .
~i~ure 9.4 is a section through a heart. The heart is er The r1ghth~ h takes it to the lungs. onat}i
divided into four space~ called chambers. The two upp nrfcry, W ic
chan1 bers are called atria (singular: :1f rium). The two
lower chambers are ,·cntrick\s. The chan1bers on th e KEY WORDS .
left-hand side are completely separated from the ones
on the right-hand side by a sc1>tu1n. . ( . gular: atrium): the thin-walled ch
atna sin h' h . a°'i...
at the top of the heart, w 1c receive blood '-'e~
If you look at Figures 9.2 and 9.4, you will see that blood
flows into the heart at the top, into the atria. Both of the . les· the thick-walled chambers at th b
ven t nc • bl e
atria receive blood. The left atrium receives blood from of the heart, which pump out ood ast
the puhnonarJ· ~·cins, which come from the lungs. The .
right atrium receives blood from the rest of the body, . the structure that separates the left
sept u m• • a"-;1
arriving through the big veins called the venae cavae right sides of the heart, keeping oxygenated
(singular: ,ena ca,·a). blood separate from deoxygenated blood

to head

aorta
pulmonary artery to body

pulmonary vein

from lungs
vena cava

left atrium
e-way valve

right atrium
one-way valve
e-way valve
tendon supporting valve

left ventricle
vena cava

septum

right ventricle

ure 9.4: A vertical section through a human heart, seen from the front.