The physiologic mechanisms of cardiac and vascular physical signs.

Examination of the heart and circulation includes five items: 1) the patient's physical appearance, 2) the arterial pulse, 3) the jugular venous pulse and peripheral veins, 4) the movements of the heart--observation, palpation and percussion of the precordium, and 5) auscultation. This report deals with specific examples that relate cardiac and vascular physical signs to their mechanisms, focusing on each of the five sources. It draws liberally on early accounts, emphasizing that modern investigative techniques often serve chiefly to verify hypotheses posed in the past.