The Curious History of the Heart: A Cultural and Scientific Journey

For much of recorded history, people considered the heart to be the most important organ in the body. In cultures around the world, the heart--not the brain--was believed to be the location of intelligence, memory, emotion, and the soul. Over time, views on the purpose of the heart have transformed as people sought to understand the life forces it contains. Modern medicine and science dismissed what was once the king of the organs as a mere blood pump subservient to the brain, yet the heart remains a potent symbol of love and health and an important part of our cultural iconography.

This book traces the evolution of our understanding of the heart from the dawn of civilization to the present. Vincent M. Figueredo--an accomplished cardiologist and expert on the history of the human heart--explores the role and significance of the heart in art, culture, religion, philosophy, and science across time and place. He examines how the heart really works, its many meanings in our emotional and daily lives, and what cutting-edge science is teaching us about this remarkable organ. Figueredo considers the science of heart disease, recent advancements in heart therapies, and what the future may hold. He highlights the emerging field of neurocardiology, which has found evidence of a "heart-brain connection" in mental and physical health, suggesting that ancient views hold more truth than moderns suspect.

Ranging widely and deeply throughout human history, this book sheds new light on why the heart remains so central to our sense of self.

ISBN-13: 9780231208185

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Publication Date: 04-04-2023

Pages: 312

Product Dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)

Vincent M. Figueredo has been a practicing cardiologist and physician-scientist for thirty years. His experience spans academic medicine, medical research, teaching, private practice, and senior hospital administration, including as chair of cardiology and professor of medicine. Figueredo’s research interests include how the heart responds to injury, alcohol, and stress.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I: The Ancient Heart
1. The Heart Means Life
2. Heart and Soul
3. The Heart and God
4. An Emotional Heart
5. Ancient Understanding of the Physical Heart
6. Ancient Heart Disease
Part II: The Heart Goes Into the Darkness and Comes Out in the Light
7. The Dark Ages
8. The Islamic Golden Age
9. The Viking Cold Hjarta
10. American Heart Sacrifice
11. The Heart Renaissance
12. Hither and Thither
Part III: heART
13. The Heart in Art
14. The Heart in Literature
15. The Heart in Music
16. Heart Rituals
Part IV: Heart 101
17. The Pump
18. Heart Anatomy
19. Heart Sounds
20. The Color of Blood
21. The Heart’s Electrical System
22. What Is an EKG?
23. What Is Blood Pressure?
24. What Is Heart Failure?
25. What Is “Having a Coronary”
26. Sex, Race, and Ethnicity in Heart Disease
27. Sudden Death of an Athlete
28. The Word “Heart”
Part V: The Modern Heart
29. Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution
30. The Twentieth Century and Heart Disease
31. Aspirin
32. The Twentieth Century and Heart Surgery
33. The Heart Now
34. Broken Heart Syndrome
35. The Heart-Brain Connection
36. The Future Heart
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Further Reading
Index Show More