When this book was published in 1971, there were several thousand papers
dealing with the structure and functions of the heart and blood vessels
of fishes. This monograph integrates this information into a much more
coherent account of the circulatory function in fish. The structure and
function of the heart, arteries, veins and capillaries are discussed and
special attention is devoted to the retial capillary exchange systems.
The properties of the blood of fish which fit it carry the respiratory
gases in the aquatic milieu and the biochemical regulation of the
capacity of haemoglobin to bond oxygen, are described. The author
examines the role of the nervous system in regulating the activity of
the heart and peripheral vessels and evaluates the part this plays in
the response of the fish to exercise and to oxygen deficiency.