The heart is what makes a man - cor est quod hominem facit

Čovjekova opažanja da rad srca, u životu, nikada ne prestaje, te da je njegov ritam i brzina podložna emocijama i raznim životnim situacijama učinio ja da srce postane najprivilegiraniji organ. Ono od pradavnih vremena postaje i najistraženiji organ. Tražeći prve pisane i crtane tragove o tome prvo nalazimo crteže drevnih primitivnih naroda. Oni su na žrtvenik svojih Bogova prinosili ljudske žrtve vadeći im kucajuća srca. Najstarija znanja o poznavanju srca nalazimo na Ebersovu i Smithovu papirusu drevnih Egipčana. U njihovoj mitologiji bog Anubis, bog mrtvih i vladar podzemlja važe srce pokojnika prije nego što ga propusti u svijet mrtvih. Drevni Kinezi svakom organu pripisuju svojstva elemenata iz prirode i svi su organi u odnosu prijateljstva i neprijateljstva. Tako je srce organ vatre i u uzajamnom odnosu je s ljetom. Komponente yang i yin odgovorne su za rad srca. Za primat srca zalagao se već Aristotel tvrdeći da je srce „mjesto prirođene topline“, dok Hipokrat prvi opisuje anatomiju srca u svojom djelu „De korde“. Galen dolazi do zaključka da je srce pokretač krvi. Srednjevjekovni liječnici, pri sekcijama, traže dušu pokojnika u srcu. Za katolike, srce je simbol života, ljubavi, svega plemenitog i lijepog što čovjek posjeduje.Man's perception that heart's work never stops, and that its rhythm and rate are susceptible to emotions and different life situations, has made the heart the most privileged organ. Since ancient times it has also become the most investigated organ. The first written and drawn traces for this can be found in drawings of ancient primitive people. They sacrificed human victims at the altar of their gods by extracting their beating hearts. The oldest knowledge about the heart is found on Ebers and Smith's papyrus of ancient Egyptians. In their mythology god Anubis, god of the dead and ruler of the underworld, weighs the heart of the deceased before letting him into the world of the dead. Ancient Chinamen attributed to each organ the properties of the elements in nature, and all organs are in the relation of friendliness or hostility. Thus, the heart is the organ of fire and is associated with summer. Yang and yin components are responsible for the heart's work. Aristotle advocated the primacy of the heart, claiming that the heart is the „place of inherent warmth“, while Hippocrates was the first to describe the anatomy of the heart in his work „De korde“. Galen reached the conclusion that the heart is the driver of blood. At autopsies the medieval physicians searched for the soul of the deceased in his heart. For Catholics the heart is the symbol of life, love, everything noble and beautiful that the man possesses