Even before we become conscious of our existence, before birth, the heart begins to beat and continues to do so day and night throughout our life. It performs its work unflaggingly until the body is worn out and we close our eyes in death. Are we really grateful to the heart for serving us so faithfully during our lifespan of maybe 60-90 years, without even stopping for one hour, or do we take the heart for granted and neglect to look after it?

Where could we ever find a machine that would work as efficiently as the heart? When we begin to study the structure of the myocardium we cannot help but be overwhelmed by this astounding example of divine Creation. Just look at the design of the muscle fibres. They are made up of fibrils, laid down in criss-cross layers, giving them marvellous elasticity. The cardiac wall consists of thousands of such fibres. Interwoven with this fibrous tissue we find a network of blood vessels providing nourishment and a network of nerves to register the stimuli. On reflection, we must admit that this living miracle in our body deserves more consideration than we are wont to give it. Is it not true that young people and athletes tend to treat the marvellous heart in their trust in an irresponsible and careless manner? Yet it is not only physical overexertion that can tax and damage it. Worries and anxieties also weaken and harm the heart. The sympathetic nervous system serves to stimulate the heart and the parasympathetic slows it down. Both of these impulse conductors work in a rhythmic fashion, which means that the heart beats either slower or faster according to demand. Between every beat the heart stands still for about one-sixth of a second, the only rest it ever indulges in. But this rest in no way compensates for the amount of work we expect it to do throughout our lifetime. The heart, with all its capabilities and untiring service, is truly a miracle.

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