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The heart: a symbol from ancient times to current biomedics
1Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. andrea.conti@unifi.it
Insights
The heart, a vital muscular pump, not only circulates blood but also produces hormones. Historical beliefs and modern science confirm the heart
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Humanities
Background:
- The heart is a vital muscular organ responsible for lifelong blood circulation.
- Recent scientific discoveries reveal the heart's endocrine function, producing hormones.
Observation:
- Historically, the heart has held significant symbolic and cultural importance across civilizations.
- Modern biomedical research increasingly validates long-held beliefs and expressions about the heart's functions.
Findings:
- The heart's role extends beyond mechanical pumping to include hormonal production.
- A convergence of historical perspectives and current scientific evidence underscores the heart's multifaceted importance.
Implications:
- This interdisciplinary understanding highlights the heart's central role in physical, psychological, and social well-being.
- Recognizing the heart's symbolic and physiological significance offers new avenues for holistic health approaches.
Abstract:
The heart is an essential and central organ in human beings. The heart is a muscular pump which contracts approximately a hundred thousand times a day for a life time, and in the last few decades it has been scientifically documented that it also produces hormones. The symbolic role of the heart has been established from time immemorial; more recently, and intriguingly, modern biomedical evidence has proved that historical knowledge and common language expressions referring to the heart are, in many cases, correct. In this perspective it is interesting to consider that already in the remote past the heart was "at the heart" of the attention of great western and eastern civilizations. From the brief panorama presented in this paper, connections between popular historical knowledge and current biomedical evidence emerge, proving the relevance of the symbolic role of the heart and of its perceived functions from pre-Christian to contemporary times, and documenting how the heart continues to remain strategically central, and epistemologically and linguistically crucial in the physical, psychological and social context of human life.
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