The Heart - An Introduction
Dateline: 03/09/97
WELCOME TO
THE VIRTUAL "HEART SCHOOL"
The heart is a fascinating organ. From the moment it begins beating, until it finally
stops, the human heart works without a break. In a life-span of seventy years, the
heart beats more than two and a half BILLION times, without ever pausing to
rest. And as it beats, it preserves LIFE.
No other organ has caught the imagination of painters and poets alike. Let danger
threaten, and the thrilling heart skips a beat, and tight-rope walks arrhythmically.
And all the while, we feel it, hear it even - WE, its stage and its audience.
It was not the livers or brains or entrails of saints that were lifted from the body in
sublimest autopsy. It was the heart they cradled into worshipful palms, then soaked
in wine and herbs and set into silver relinquaries for the veneration of the faithful.
It follows quite naturally that Love should choose such an organ for its bower.
When Love blooms therein, the heart dances - and is lost to the loved one!
The heart has from time immemorial been surrounded by an aura of mystery and
awe. Although some of this has been dispelled by the "cold reality" of modern
science and technology, which has unravelled the mechanics of the heart, the air of
fascination and wonder that the heart inspires in man has not diminished.
So JOIN ME THEN, and we will explore this wonderful organ....
Discover the complexities of its structure and function....
Journey down the blood stream and experience the efficiency of the
circulation....
See how diseases of the heart are detected....
Marvel at the miracle that is "Open Heart Surgery"....
Learn about the people who make it happen....
Understand all about the different defects of the heart, and how they are
treated.
And soon I hope your fascination and curiosity will turn into understanding
and respect for this magnificent work of creation called
THE HEART!
On this site, I'll attempt to present to you the best the Internet has to offer about
the heart. Over the next few months, a weekly class at the VIRTUAL HEART
SCHOOL will give you a chance to learn all about the intricate make up and
function of the heart. At this learning center, I will try to explain, with the help of
pictures and photographs, how the heart is made up, its chambers, walls, valves
and blood vessels, the way it works to maintain life and much more - all in the
simplest language possible.
The topics you can expect to find here over the next few weeks are:
And as you begin to appreciate the great complexity of this wonder of creation, it
will become obvious that damage and defects of the heart are indeed quite likely.
How does the "medicine man" know what is wrong with someone's heart ?
Magic ? Intuition ? Guesswork ? No, No, No ! It's science, and highly
advanced and technical stuff, at that. In the HEART LABORATORY you will
read all about the tests doctors run to detect heart disease - from simple ones like
an X-ray or EKG to the more esoteric ones like MRI and Isotope testing.
Although there are literally hundreds of diseases that can affect the heart, they may
all be conveniently grouped under just FOUR major heads - CONGENITAL,
VALVULAR, ISCHEMIC and CARDIOMYOPATHY. Over the past four
decades, the science of repairing heart defects has evolved into a fine art. In
sequence, in the HEART HOSPITAL, these different conditions will be featured
- with details of current treatment options available and the results of such
intervention.
And as science advances, doctors are trying their best to make treatment simpler,
less painful, more successful and less expensive. IN THE SPOTLITE will feature,
monthly, one of the novel and exciting treatment options for heart disease.
Therapies that are in media focus - Batista operation, fetal surgery, minimally
invasive heart surgery, transplantation, artificial hearts, gene therapy and
much more - will be analyzed minus the hype associated with press reporting.
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