Throughout millennia, the notion of the heart (and its ...



Why the heart?

Throughout millennia, the notion of the heart (and its representations in image and word) has captured numerous myths, concepts, symbols, and meanings for us all—more, in fact, than any other human organ[1].

The heart image was chosen for this book’s cover because the burden of this disease on the health of populations is profound and nearly all Americans underestimate their chances of having cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death for all persons for the past century and remains so today[2]. Central to this issue is the significant increase in life expectancy over the last century and the resultant consequences of aging arteries. Consequently, it is also one of the major causes of morbidity in the Western world[3]. Public health approaches are therefore essential to prevention and control strategies since most cardiovascular disease is caused by social, cultural, and economic factors[4]. Thus, heart disease must remain a critical focus in public health.

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[1] Godwin, G. (2001) Heart. A Personal Journey Through Its Myths and Meanings. New York: William Morrow.

[2] National Institutes of Health. 1954 NIH Data Book Bethesda, MD p.3.

[3] Newby. D., Cockcroft, J., and Wilkinson, I. (2005) Coronary Heart Disease. Your Questions Answered. Ediburgh: Elsevier.

[4] Luepker, R.V. (2008) Heart Disease. Chapter 62. In Wallace, R.B. (Ed.) Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine (pp 1071-1088). McGraw Hill Medical: New York.

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