Heart: A History

A cardiologist deftly intersperses his own medical journey, as it relates to his family and career, with a history of human understanding of the heart and advances in the field of cardiology. Beginning chapters, which focus on history, are intriguing, but the investigation really picks up as Jauhar delves into the monumental discoveries of the late 19th and 20th centuries. With accessible language, the author writes about Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, an African American surgeon, who performed the first open heart surgery in 1893. Jauhar describes in fascinating detail the invention of the heart lung machine, the development of the cardiac catheterization procedure, the advent of coronary angioplasties, the invention of the pacemaker, the first successful donor heart transplant, and the first mechanical heart, and reminds us of the significant impact that our emotional lives have on the health of our hearts. In fact, Jauhar argues that increasing progress in the field of cardiology will require a shift to a new paradigm—away from high-tech intervention and toward a comprehension of psychosocial factors. To treat our hearts, we also have to address issues such as poverty and stress.