The human heart has long fascinated mankind. The notion that the heart is the source of all emotions can be traced to the ancient Greeks. The Romans further expounded on this the notion by claiming the heart seat of fidelity and love. The classic tradition of placing wedding bands on the third finger from the thumb is based on the belief that this finger vein is a mainline to the heart. Modern science has since proven many of these myths about the heart are false. Yet this vital organ still fascinates us. The study and science of diseases of the heart are called cardiology. While the men and women who specialize in treating heart ailments are known as cardiologists.
As modern science and medicine improved, so has the health maintenance of the human body. People are able to live longer, mainly due to our ability to better take care of our physical parts and even replace them if they fail entirely. The heart, being the main engine, never stops and it never rests. The never resting engine needs special care and attention for healthy and proper function. We did not always understand the importance of the heart and how it worked. Here is a brief history of important events and figures in cardiology and how we came to understand the heart and treat it.
William Harvey was an English physician who was the first to fully describe the circulation system and its relationship to the blood. Harvey was not the first to theorize that the blood circulates throughout the body or that it is pumped by the heart. There were earlier scientists and writers who theorized as such. Harvey was, however, the first to fully organize and describe it as a system of the body in 1628.
The next notable figure, Raymond de Vieussens, was a French anatomist. He was the first to describe the anatomy, or the structure of the heart, its chambers and vessels. In 1705, Vieussens wrote the Vessels of the Human Body, which is a classic study and resource material in the history of cardiology. In 1733, Stephen Hales, a true scholar in a variety of academic disciplines was an English man of the cloth, who made his contribution to cardiology by being the first to measure blood pressure.
Debakey continue to make advances in the field of cardiology and practice medicine right up until his death at the age of 99 in 2008. Two years prior to his death, the procedure that he had perfected in the 60's was used to save his life on December 31, 2005.
As the modern scientific era dawned, the first attempts at surgical intervention began. The field of cardiology was venturing into new and uncharted waters. In the late 1800s the first successful open-heart surgery was performed by Dr. Ludwig Rehn. In 1896 this German physician performed the first successful heart surgery. It wouldn't be until 1953 until heart surgery would become more common.
John Gibbons invented what we now call the Heart Lung Machine. This invention allows a surgeon to keep blood oxygenated and moving through patient during surgery. Dr. Gibbon's machine was refined using dogs as test subjects. In 1953 Cecelia Bavolek, became the first successful recipient of a heart bypass surgery, using Dr. Gibbon's machine. This breakthrough opened the door for safer heart-valve repair and transplantation surgeries take place.
In 1957 James Jude, yet another American cardiac surgeon, lead a team to perform the first successful chest compression method. This external cardiac massage method Jude and his team studied and perfected, is the essential component of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, better known as CPR. Today, CPR is widely studied, educated and applied, and saves countless number of lives around the world.
Michael DeBakey, the American surgeon hailed by the National Institute of Health as a magician of the heart, performed the first coronary bypass in 1965. In the same year another important American surgeon, Adrian Kantrowitz invented a mechanical implant device to help keep a heart pumping even when the patient is not in the surgical room of a hospital. Their contribution to cardiology continues to save numerous lives today.
Another miraculous breakthrough in cardiology and medicine was made in 1967 by a South African surgeon, Chrstiaan Neethling Barnard. Barnard was able to, for the first time in history, perform a whole human to human heart transplant. This gave new hope to patients with even end stage heart failures or extremely serious coronary artery diseases.
In looking at these two great men, we have only really glimpsed their long careers, careers that accounted for the saving of many lives, and by extension, giving life back to the families who cared about those that went under the skillful hands of both DeBakey and Cooley.
The art and science of cardiology have a long and wonderful history. Many of us today owe our lives to the efforts of these pioneers. Advances in medical science have created a world that many of these trailblazers could only imagine. Cardiologists continue to work in tandem with specialists from other fields, like bio-engineering and electronics. The new discovery these men and women invent will improve the quality of life for countless heart patients. The study of the human heart will continue to amaze, fascinate, and benefit us for a long time to come.
As modern science and medicine improved, so has the health maintenance of the human body. People are able to live longer, mainly due to our ability to better take care of our physical parts and even replace them if they fail entirely. The heart, being the main engine, never stops and it never rests. The never resting engine needs special care and attention for healthy and proper function. We did not always understand the importance of the heart and how it worked. Here is a brief history of important events and figures in cardiology and how we came to understand the heart and treat it.
William Harvey was an English physician who was the first to fully describe the circulation system and its relationship to the blood. Harvey was not the first to theorize that the blood circulates throughout the body or that it is pumped by the heart. There were earlier scientists and writers who theorized as such. Harvey was, however, the first to fully organize and describe it as a system of the body in 1628.
The next notable figure, Raymond de Vieussens, was a French anatomist. He was the first to describe the anatomy, or the structure of the heart, its chambers and vessels. In 1705, Vieussens wrote the Vessels of the Human Body, which is a classic study and resource material in the history of cardiology. In 1733, Stephen Hales, a true scholar in a variety of academic disciplines was an English man of the cloth, who made his contribution to cardiology by being the first to measure blood pressure.
Debakey continue to make advances in the field of cardiology and practice medicine right up until his death at the age of 99 in 2008. Two years prior to his death, the procedure that he had perfected in the 60's was used to save his life on December 31, 2005.
As the modern scientific era dawned, the first attempts at surgical intervention began. The field of cardiology was venturing into new and uncharted waters. In the late 1800s the first successful open-heart surgery was performed by Dr. Ludwig Rehn. In 1896 this German physician performed the first successful heart surgery. It wouldn't be until 1953 until heart surgery would become more common.
John Gibbons invented what we now call the Heart Lung Machine. This invention allows a surgeon to keep blood oxygenated and moving through patient during surgery. Dr. Gibbon's machine was refined using dogs as test subjects. In 1953 Cecelia Bavolek, became the first successful recipient of a heart bypass surgery, using Dr. Gibbon's machine. This breakthrough opened the door for safer heart-valve repair and transplantation surgeries take place.
In 1957 James Jude, yet another American cardiac surgeon, lead a team to perform the first successful chest compression method. This external cardiac massage method Jude and his team studied and perfected, is the essential component of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, better known as CPR. Today, CPR is widely studied, educated and applied, and saves countless number of lives around the world.
Michael DeBakey, the American surgeon hailed by the National Institute of Health as a magician of the heart, performed the first coronary bypass in 1965. In the same year another important American surgeon, Adrian Kantrowitz invented a mechanical implant device to help keep a heart pumping even when the patient is not in the surgical room of a hospital. Their contribution to cardiology continues to save numerous lives today.
Another miraculous breakthrough in cardiology and medicine was made in 1967 by a South African surgeon, Chrstiaan Neethling Barnard. Barnard was able to, for the first time in history, perform a whole human to human heart transplant. This gave new hope to patients with even end stage heart failures or extremely serious coronary artery diseases.
In looking at these two great men, we have only really glimpsed their long careers, careers that accounted for the saving of many lives, and by extension, giving life back to the families who cared about those that went under the skillful hands of both DeBakey and Cooley.
The art and science of cardiology have a long and wonderful history. Many of us today owe our lives to the efforts of these pioneers. Advances in medical science have created a world that many of these trailblazers could only imagine. Cardiologists continue to work in tandem with specialists from other fields, like bio-engineering and electronics. The new discovery these men and women invent will improve the quality of life for countless heart patients. The study of the human heart will continue to amaze, fascinate, and benefit us for a long time to come.
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You can try to ask for help from Los Angeles cardiologist associates if you are having troubles with any kind of heart ailment. They are the best professionals to consider if you want to maintain the good health of your heart.