Heart dissection

Observations and Pictures

 Size: 2 fists together, Shape: a diamond like shape with a rounded bottom, Colour: pinky, purpley, redish

Weight: maybe 2 pounds less when it was thawed

The pulmonary trunk and aorta were a salmon pink in colour, they were strong, thick tubes.

The walls of the VENTRICLES were different on either side on the left side the wall was a good 1-2 inches thick as the right side was only 1-2 cm thick. the left side was much harder to cut through.

The valves and chordae tendinae(looked like string) were very thin but very strong parts of the heart.

the inside of the atria and ventricles were a dark pink, the size of the ventricle was about twice the size of the atria.

 Questions:

1. What was the most surprising thing about dissecting the heart?  Describe what your expectations were and if they were met. Nothing really surprised me in this dissection because I had previously done the same one in grade 8.
2. Why are the atria and ventricles so different (compare their structure to their function)? i am a little unsure as to what is different other than size.
3. Why is the left ventricle more muscular than the right? the left ventricle is more muscular than the right because it pumps more blood to more places.
4. What are function of the heart valves?  Describe how the structure of the valves relates to their function (including chordae tendinae). the function of the valves and chordae tendinae are to stop blood from pooling in the ventricles and to stop blood from squirting back up into the atria
5. Use one of your pictures to trace the path of blood through the heart (add arrows?)