Description
Rather than curious, the history of the heart is fascinating, starting with its mystery in the bygone ages when various cultures believed this beating organ to be the magical soul controlling the physical and mental aspects of the body. The author, cardiologist Vincent M. Figueredo, takes the reader back centuries to examine the thought processes of the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans, Islamists, the Chinese, Indians, and even the Vikings as they considered the mystery of the heart. Its vital importance was then duly noted, and the organ was often offered as sacrificial tributes to the gods for favors. Then came William Harvey, and now the heart no longer reigned in its cerebrocentric and cardiocentric roles, but was demoted to the function of a simple pump. Yet cardiovascular disease is noted as the chief cause of death, and again, it is the heart that can be blamed. Now, we come to the time when science finds that both the brain and the heart work together. Delightfully, the author shows how the heart as a symbol, an expression, a visual image has infused meaning in all aspects of our lives. A delightfully readable book about our views and knowledge of the heart through the ages.
