The heart, widely understood as the place where life begins and ends, has always featured as a potent symbol within our religions, myths and rituals.
The Heart exhibition, Dave Sayer. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Modern medical science has taught us that much of the power and influence traditionally attributed to the heart actually lies in the brain. But we remain reluctant to let go of the notion – deeply rooted in everyday language and imagery – that the heart is home to our emotions and source of our true character. Concentrating primarily on Western medicine and culture, this exhibition brought together objects and images from the histories of science and art, and also everyday life.