Vieussens, professor at Montpellier, was the first to describe the centrum ovale correctly. The publication of the above work threw new light on the subject of the configuration and structure of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. With numerous large folding copperplates, it is considered the best illustrated work on the nervous system published in the 17th century. Second issue, identical except dated 1685. Both issues have the words, “editio nova” on the title page. Digital facsimile of the 1584 issue from Google Books at this link.

Vieussens was among the first to describe the morbid changes in mitral stenosis, the throbbing pulse in aortic insufficiency, and the first correctly to describe the structure of the left ventricle, the course of the coronary vessels and the valve in the large coronary vein. He was the first to diagnose thoracic aneurysm during the life of the patient. Vieussens included a classic description of the symptoms of aortic regurgitation in his book. Partial English translation in No. 2241. Digital facsimile from the Medical Heritage Library, Internet Archive, at this link.

The first description of “Vieussen’s valve,” “Vieussens’s ring,” and the “Thebesian veins” of the heart. "These ‘ducti carnosi’ were ultimately named ‘Thebesian veins’ after subsequent work completed by Adam Christian Thebesius just two years after Vieussens’s publication. Vieussens's 1706 work also included a description of the valve of the coronary vein known now as Vieussens’s valve—of clinical significance during placement of biventricular pacing leads—as well as a description of a conus branch of the right coronary artery circling around the aorta to the left arterial system providing a source of collateral flow known as Vieussens’s ring” (Jeremy Parker). 

The first work on cardiac anatomy and pathology. Vieussens was the first to describe the course of the coronary arteries and the coronary sinus. He also described collateral vessels connecting the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery (circle of Vieussens), the valve Vieussens situated at the junction of the great cardiac vein and coronary sinus ostium, and a depression at the margin of the fossa ovalis called Vieussens' annulus. Vieussens provided several illustrations demonstrating the arterial andvenous coronary circulation (plates 1 to 6). He also described in detail the organization of myocardial fibers of the right and left ventricles (plates 7 to 9) Similar to Lower, Vieussens reported cases of pericardial effusion and restrictive pericarditis ("symphyse pericardique"). He presented  the clinical manifestations associated with these diseases, and described one of the first cases of aortic regurgitation. Vieussens also discussed "the structure of the internal surface of the right ventricle." He provided a detailed description of the structural and functional anatomy of the tricuspid and pulmonic valves (pp. 98-101; plates 10 & 11). Vieussens also provided the first comprehensive description of mitral stenosis (pp 101-106; plates 12 & 13). (This note was adapted from information provided by Farzan Filsoufi.) Digital facsimile from HathiTrust at this link.