History of cardiac physiology in the framework of the German Society for Circulation Research (1927-1980)

In the early years after foundation (1927) of the German Society for Circulation Research, physiological topics were often predominant at the annual meetings. At that time, besides methodological questions of blood pressure measurement, sphygmography and phonocardiography, many lectures and discussions were concerned with problems of electrocardiogaphy, the transmitters and effects of the efferent cardiac nerves and the reflexes starting from the heart or central vessels. Animated discussions took place on special problems of blood flow and volume measurement and on cardiac dynamics in the records of the proceedings of the 1960s, e.g., on the existence of an active variable diastolic tone of the heart. Basic questions about myocardial mechanics and the evaluation of contractility were predominant in the 1970s. Since the 1950s, the introduction of the microelectrode technique has brought about considerable progress in the fields of myocardial electrophysiology and excitation-contraction coupling. After early pioneering contributions, coronary circulation and cardiac ischemia have been increasingly the subject of discussions since the 1960s. The conferences of the society have stimulated cardiac research and have promoted the exchange of knowledge between basic research and clinical medicine.