The Curious History of the Heart

A Cultural and Scientific Journey

By: Vincent M. Figueredo

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

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. 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.

©2023 Vincent M. Figueredo (P)2024 Tantor

Educational and entertaining.

A comprehensive history of the heart from prehistoric times to present in an easy and enjoyable read. Packed with great facts and stories. Apparently not meant for the snooty academic types. For the rest of the reading public this is a fun and educational read.

This book was excellent from beginning to end.

I learned so much about the progress of treating heart issues and how they are treated.

For some a strong emotional state can kill you

A lot of literary quotes - some repeated over and over again, from the days before humanity had the means or was allowed by religion to fully explore the human body and decide on organ function and interplay. The author tries to create a tension between the brain and the heart as the seat of the soul paraphrasing old texts. He sites one syndrom (there are at least two versions of it, but sites only one briefly at the end) that relates to how emotional state can have a detrimental effect on cardiac function. It is in implicit in a holistic systems approach that such couplings must exist but it is not properly addressed here.

A pitty, I'll be returning this one for having wasted my time.