Origins of the Heart Icon
The origins of the heart symbol remain an enigma in the scientific community. However, a recent study from the Netherlands attempts to shed light on its genesis.
According to Dutch neuroscientist and study author Pierre Vinken, the earliest depiction of the classic heart symbol appeared in a 13th-century manuscript. Vinken suggests that it may have drawn inspiration from philosopher Aristotle's peculiar descriptions of the heart.
Another hypothesis proposes that the heart symbol represents the leaf of an extinct giant plant called silphium, which grew along the North African coast and was used as a contraceptive in ancient Greece and Rome.
The Heart Symbol: A Metaphorical Representation
Regardless of its origins, the heart symbol has little resemblance to the actual human heart. However, this has never hindered its widespread adoption as a symbol of the "heart" in a metaphorical sense, representing emotions, affection, and love.
Scientific Basis for the Simplified Heart Shape
The popularity of the heart symbol flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. By the mid-20th century, scientists discovered a surprising connection between the simplified heart shape and anatomical reality.
When a plastic mold was injected into a human cadaver's aorta in the 1950s, the resultant plastic cast bore the distinct shape of the heart symbol. Decades later, advanced techniques using contrast agents injected into the coronary arteries revealed the precise shape of the heart during actual circulation.
Speculation on Ancient Surgeons' Knowledge
These observations raise intriguing questions about whether ancient surgeons somehow observed this pattern thousands of years before it was unveiled by modern science. The study authors speculate that these early anatomists may have created postmortem casts of the coronary vessels, utilizing crude materials like plaster instead of plastic.
While acknowledging the highly speculative nature of this hypothesis, the research team concludes that it remains "the most plausible assumption to explain the remarkable accuracy of the present-day universal heart image with that of the heart of all times."
The findings were published in the Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine.
Summary
The origin of the heart symbol remains a subject of scientific debate, with various hypotheses ranging from Aristotle's descriptions to the leaf of an extinct plant. However, the heart symbol's metaphorical representation of emotions and love has ensured its enduring popularity. Remarkably, its simplified shape appears to have a basis in anatomical reality, as revealed by the circulation pattern of the heart.