History

Who Discovered Heart Disease?

Instead of “Who discovered heart disease?” a better question might be, “Who discovered proof of ancient treatments for heart disease?”

Heart disease is the leading killer of people throughout the world. However, health problems involving the heart are not at all new to the human species. Although the knowledge of the causes and effects of heart disease began to appear in actual medical practice in the 20th century, the history of heart disease dates back to as far back as ancient Egypt.

Archaeological findings in ancient Egypt indicate that Egyptians at that time thought of the heart as the seat of human wisdom and personality. They imagined some kinds of channels originating from the heart and carrying its products (in which they included blood, semen, saliva, and other fluids as well as air and nutrients) to the rest of the body.

The History

In the 1800s, Georg Ebers discovered an Egyptian scroll in Thebes. It had medical data recorded on it from 1550 B. C. It also had information on how to detect heart failure.

In this papyrus scroll, there were references to cardiac dysfunction, fluid retention due to heart failure, patients with weak hearts or a hole in their heart, and others. So the Egyptians had a large base of knowledge on how the heart works, what can happen to it, how to spot the symptoms, and how to treat the problem.

Another scroll, from the 17th century B. C., was discovered by Edwin Smith (1822–1906) which had records of medical surgery in Egypt, including chest surgery. This would certainly indicate that the person who discovered heart disease lived in ancient Egypt and may have even performed heart surgery. The scroll contains records of physical exams, prognosis, and treatment for various conditions.   

Hence, it is the early Egyptians who had discovered heart disease. They even knew its symptoms and had treatments for it.


In year 2011, autopsy found 3500-year-old Egyptian princess had clogged arteries. 44 out of 52 mummies examined had clogged arteries.To determine how common heart disease was in ancient Egypt, scientists performed computer scans on 52 mummies in Cairo and the United States.

The mummy of Maiherpri, from 1550-1295 BC, is prepared for examination at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - one of 52 mummies to be examined

Among those that still had heart tissue, 44 had chunks of calcium stuck to their arteries - indicating clogging.

An Egyptian princess who lived more than 3,500 years ago had the oldest known case of coronary artery disease, according to a new study which provides unique insights into the origins of atherosclerosis.

The mummified remains of the princess, who lived in Thebes (Luxor) between 1580 and 1550 B.C., were investigated by a team of Egyptian and U.S. researchers.

Using whole-body, multi-slice computed tomography scanning, the researchers found evidence of arterial calcification in the mummy, which is a marker for cardiovascular disease.

The analysis revealed that Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon, who died in her early 40s, had a casebook condition of atherosclerosis, a type of hardening of the arteries responsible for most heart diseases.

Ahmose-Meryet-Amon wasn't an isolated case. Commonly considered a result of our modern lifestyle, atherosclerosis was surprisingly widespread in ancient Egypt.

The researchers pointed out that 45 percent of the mummies they put through CT scans show signs of atherosclerosis. They presented their findings at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging in Amsterdam last week.

They investigated 52 Egyptian mummies, mostly from the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo, who lived between 1981 BC and 364 A.D.

The sarcophagus containing the mummy Isis. Experts say that beef, pork, mutton, antelope, duck and other meats were readily available in the royal courts

Experts say that during the princess' lifetime, beef, pork, mutton, antelope, duck and other meats were readily available in the royal courts. Egyptians didn't eat much fish but ate many different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Salt was also likely used to preserve their food.

Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon lived in Luxor, pictured, between 1540 and 1550 B.C. She had calcium deposits in two main coronary arteries

Current Treatments

Christiaan Neethling Barnard was not the person who discovered heart disease, but he performed the first heart surgery in December of 1967, at the Groote Schurr Hospital in Cape Town, Africa. Surgical options today include a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) where a vein or artery from another part of the body is grafted to create a detour around the clog in the artery.

Other Important Discoveries

In 2006, heart stem cells were discovered. Cell therapy for damaged hearts will be greatly improved by finding a suitable stem cell. Much testing still remains, but this is the beginning of cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

Recently, a genetic trait that causes heart attacks was identified. As of 2010, there is currently a drug being created that would inhibit it. African-Americans who have this gene are even more likely to have a heart attack than Caucasian people who also have the gene.  if this drug were to be effective, it could eliminate 20 percent of heart attacks among African-Americans.