THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: For 400 years, anatomists have understood there to be two systems in the body that function as transportation for cells, electrolytes, nutrients and hormones: the lymphatic system and the cardiovascular system.
The lymphatic system, which removes excess fluid from tissues, was observed as early as 1622 by the Italian physician Gaspare Aselli when he vivisected a dog.
The workings of the cardiovascular system, in which the heart pumps blood through arteries, capillaries and veins, were first described in 1628 by the English physician and anatomist William Harvey. » By Avraham Z. Cooper. Illustrations by Jérôme Berthier | Monday, May 11, 2026
