Physiology and pathology of the cardiovascular system: A physical perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to cardiovascular physiology and pathology. These are vast, complex subjects, each filling large tomes and severely exercising the memory of medical students. By necessity, this will be a very brief and, in places, simplistic introduction to the subject. Despite its simplicity, it can be very daunting to the newcomer who has not been trained in biology and physiology. Although we would strongly discourage it, those readers interested only in the mathematics of the modelling could skip this chapter initially, returning to it as the need arises.