Article1 November 1954FACTORS CONCERNED IN THE GENESIS OF CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIASALFRED M. WEDD, M.D., F.A.C.P., STEPHEN M. TENNEY, M.D.ALFRED M. WEDD, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, STEPHEN M. TENNEY, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-41-5-935 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe production of delirium cordis by coronary artery ligation or electrical stimulation of the ventricle was known long before Vulpian1by faradization converted the normal systole of either auricle or ventricle into the tremulous movement which he called fibrillation. In 1887 MacWilliam2demonstrated that this phenomenon was entirely muscular and that "heightened irritability" and delayed conduction were essential to its production. Through the years there have been many theories for the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias, two of which continue to receive attention, namely, reëntry of impulses and ectopic pacemakers. Mines3showed that what he called a circulating excitation, already known...Bibliography1. Vulpian A: Sur les effets de la faradization des ventricules du coeur chez le chien, Compt. rend. Soc. de biol. 26: 394, 1874. Google Scholar2. MacWilliam JA: Fibrillar contraction of the heart, J. Physiol. 8: 296, 1887. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Mines GR: On dynamic equilibrium in the heart, J. Physiol. 46: 349, 1913. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Lewis T: Observations upon flutter and fibrillation, Heart 7: 1920. Google Scholar5. PrinzmetalCordayBrillOblathKruger MEICRWHE: The auricular arrhythmias, 1952, C. C Thomas, Springfield, Ill. Google Scholar6. TenneyWedd SMAM: Disturbances of rhythm in the cold-blooded heart under aconitine, Circ. Res. 2: 28, 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. HarrisBisteniRussellBrighamFirestone ASARAJCJE: Excitatory factors in ventricular tachycardia resulting from myocardial ischemia. Potassium a major excitant, Science 119: 200, 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. WrightColemanAdelman EBPWJ: Effect of potassium on the crustacean single motor nerve fiber, Federation Proc. 13: 168, 1954. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Rochester, N. Y.*Received for publication April 29, 1954.From the Departments of Medicine and Physiology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Experimental observations cited are from work done under a grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Institute. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 November 1954Volume 41, Issue 5Page: 935-941KeywordsArrhythmiaAtrial fibrillationCoronary arteriesDeliriumDentistryHeartLigation assayPacemakersSystole ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 November 1954 PDF downloadLoading ...