The history of diseases of the circulatory system forms one of the most interesting chapters in medical history. There is no organ in the body that has mystified and fascinated man like the Heart. Fascination with the heart goes far beyond that of clinical medicine. From the historical perspective of art, customs, literature, philosophy, religion, and science, the heart has represented the seat of the soul and the wellsprings of life itself. Such reverence also meant that the heart was long considered a surgical untouchable. As with every discovery or advancement in knowledge, the evolution of cardiac surgery is intimately connected with the evolution of human thought.
Aristotle
Aristotle (384-322 BC): Greek philosopher and scientist, shares with Plato and Socrates the distinction of being the most famous of ancient philosophers. Aristotle was born at Stagira, in Macedonia, the son of a physician to the royal court. At the age of 17, he went to Athens to study at Plato’s Academy. Trained as a physician he brought to his philosophy a due respect for facts and analytical method. His method of logic started the movement of thought and reasoning that eventually led to the abandonment of superstition and metaphysics. However, Aristotle had thought that the heart is the central abode of life, the mind, and the soul, the hearth from which emanate generative animal heat, something different from sterile, elemental fire, and that from the heart the blood and blood vessels are derived.