Heart Shaped

The shape of the heart may not have changed in the 300 years since this anatomical picture was produced, but during that time, our understanding of how the heart functions and fails has changed beyond recognition. This engraving of a dissected human heart, published in 1739 by William Cowper, details the vessels, valves and heart chambers that we now know ensure blood is pumped efficiently from our lungs – delivering its precious cargo of oxygen – around the body. But it was almost 200 years after this work of art appeared that scientific research really started to take shape, sketching the blueprint for today’s heart disease research. And now, in the 21st century, armed with a rich palette of research tools, scientists are adding ever more detail to the picture of how the heart works.

Written by Caroline Cross

Caroline Cross

Writer

Fascinated by the complexities of the human body, Caroline enjoys writing about biomedical research. She spent much of her research career peering down a microscope at cells and parasites, and is constantly amazed at their beauty.

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• Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND); Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London