Journey Into the Heart
by David Monagan; David O. Williams
Buy book: $17.31

The 20th-century journey to understand the human heart was an epic saga, on par with the race to the moon. "Journey of the Heart" is the thrilling story of the brilliant and audacious pioneers who revolutionized cardiovascular medicine.

 

I have recently received a "trial" stent in my heart. The symtoms I described to my doctor sent a red flag. The blockage was 70% and they did angioplasty. Now there is growing concern that these procedures are performed too quickly and can be treated with meds and diet. I have a family history that is so full of heart problems,that I feel I did the right thing.I think I staved off a heart attack. I do think that with every new technology there is a down side we discover later, but in the end, many lives are saved.

Being an individual dealing with cardiolvascular disease, I am always mindful of new findings in medical science. I am hopeful that one day, someone will be able to perform a treatment that will completely heal me. This book has gotten me going. I hope I will be able to have better communications with my cardiologist and my electrophysiologist to stay on top of my treatment. Right now I am about a quarter to a third through the life of my AICD, so I will be back under the knife in a couple of years. So far, every time I have gone under the knife, something new or improved has come out which I get to benefit from. I find it very interesting to learn about the history of medical discovery especially in the area of the heart. I feel like I have some control.

I have requested that the library purchase this book when it gets published in a few weeks.

I am truly amazed at how far things have come even in the past 100 years. I did not realize how recent a great deal of the knowledge about how the heart works was gained. I found this excerpt very interesting even though I'm not usually drawn to books about science. This subject is fascinating because of the leaps and bounds made over time, from the heart being known as the seat of the soul to learning its true functions. I am going to recommend this book to my grandfather who has had bypass surgery to remove 5 blockages.