Abstract
The interesting note in Sir William Osler's “Textbook of Medicine” on the heart of Eclipse, the famous race horse, and Master McGrath, the famous greyhound, has prompted investigation of the heart-weight body-weight ratios in these animals. Studies on the heart of the racing greyhound were reported in the PROCEEDINGS of 3 years ago. 1 The questions of true physiologic as well as the mechanism of pathologic work hypertrophy of the heart are still open.
We, unfortunately, do not have records of the heart-weight body-weight ratios of the great sires of thoroughbred racing stock or of the great mares that have produced long lines of winners. Accurate anatomical data on the English sires, or the lines descending from Godolphin Bart, 1689, Byerly Turk, 1706, and Darley Arabin, 1724, or of the American progenitor, Longfellow I, 1850, or the more recently famous studs, as Fair Play, Broomstick, and Man-of-War, would be most interesting and valuable.
In a group of 16 race horses of various strains, ages, and racing experiences, I have been able to obtain the heart-weight body-weight ratios and the left ventricle to right ventricle ratios. The greatest H.W./B.W. ratio, that of 110 gm. of heart per kilo of body weight, was gotten from Bronston, a horse that had been frequently “hopped” and had dropped dead during a morning workout. This horse may well have had some abnormality in his cardiovascular system.
The next highest heart weight ratio, that of 107, was found in Clorinda F, a 3-year-old, whose heart-weight body-weight ratio was actually greater than those of 3 and 4 year old horses. A note from the veterinarian stated that Clorinda F was of unusually good lineage.
Other than this the horses ranked in heart-weight body-weight ratios somewhat according to their age, the 4-year-olds having a ratio of 101 and 104, the 3-year-olds 82 to 100, and the 2-year-olds 81 to 88.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.