Dr Alan Gilchrist

The Foetal Circulation Dr Alan Gilchrist

The Foetal Circulation is the culmination of many years of interest on the part of the author in the foetal circulation. Information is presented in three parts, all generously illustrated with drawings and diagrams made by the author. The first part describes the events which led up to his discovery of a foetal heart in the mortuary, a discovery that inspired years of work and research. The second takes the reader around the plan of the circulation and analyses its sections. The last discusses various aspects of this subject, including the foetal heart sounds. The changes at birth are given in detail and followed by an elaborate exposition of the valve of the foramen ovale. There is an interesting section comparing the author's ideas with those of the standard accounts, which he demolishes completely. There is a small section at the end that deals with respiration and resuscitation of the newborn. The author believes that no other book devoted entirely and comprehensively to the circulation in the foetus has ever been produced. A few pages on this subject may be found in the standard textbooks of anatomy, physiology, embryology, paediatrics, obstetrics, and medicine, and they are all wrong (according to him).