Das Reizleitungssystem des Säugetierherzens

Das Reizleitungssystem des Säugetierherzens (English: "The Conduction System of the Mammalian Heart") is a scientific monograph published in 1906 by Sunao Tawara. It has been recognized by cardiologists as a monumental discovery, and a milestone in cardiac electrophysiology".

The monograph revealed the existence of the atrioventricular node and the function of Purkinje cells. It was used by Arthur Keith and Martin Flack as a detailed guide in their attempts to verify the existence of the Bundle of His, which subsequently led to their discovery of the sinoatrial node. Throughout the beginning of the 20th century, Tawara's monograph influenced the work of many cardiologists and it was later cited by Willem Einthoven in his anatomical interpretation of the electrocardiogram.

Prior to Tawara's discoveries, it was assumed that electrical conduction through the Bundle of His was slow, because of the long interval between atrial and ventricular contractions. The Swiss cardiologist Wilhelm His, Jr. assumed that the heart bundle was connected directly to the base of the ventricle, and physiologists incorrectly taught that the base of the ventricle contracted first, followed by the apex.

However, Tawara postulated that ventricular contraction occurs in the opposite manner, with the apex contracting earlier than the base. He also believed that the heart's electrical conduction was not slow but rapid. Working under the guidance of his mentor, Ludwig Aschoff, Tawara performed a histological examination of 150 hearts with myocarditis (which led to the discovery of Aschoff bodies), and he began examining the atrioventricular bundle before embarking on a comprehensive study of the anatomy and histology of the heart's conduction system.

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