S. Amidon, T. Amidon "The Brilliant Machine. Biography of the heart"

Authors: Stephen Amidon, Thomas Amidon Title: The Ingenious Machine: A Biography of the Heart Year of publication: 2012 Description: It goes without saying that the life of nearly every well-known and important figure eventually becomes the subject of a biography, but no one had ever attempted to write a biography of an organ. Until two brothers—a cardiologist and a writer—decided to bring this unusual idea to life. The titular “ingenious machine” that powers the human body and to which the authors pay a historical tribute is the heart. Its history is told here in chronological order, beginning with antiquity and a humanistic perspective on the heart—the heart as a symbol—through the anatomical nuances gradually discovered by Aristotle, Galens, and Harvey, all the way to modern times and the extremely interesting forecast regarding its future, contained in the final chapter. Told in accessible and erudite language, the narrative is a blend of various scientific, detailed, and purely literary reflections, often incredibly amusing. Each chapter begins with a story in which the heart plays the leading role, serving as an introduction to the substantial dose of information—some more obvious, some less—that follows, providing intellectual nourishment for both medical professionals and humanists alike.