The Image of the Heart

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Abstract
The ancients were mystified by the heart, troubadours sang of it, Renaissance men described it accurately, modern man makes it radioactive. But he has good reason. Radiologic technics show lesions in many organs, an immense aid in diagnosis and follow-up study. But the usual x-ray film of the chest does not show the myocardium per se; several superimposed tissues, notably blood in the heart cavities, also contribute to the image. Angiographic technics, or the usual "heart scan" based on labeling the blood pool with agents such as radioactive technetium-albumin, all visualize cavities rather than myocardium. The importance of heart disease . . .