A Brief History of Heart Disease
By Sheila A Shover

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 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.

Medieval History of Heart Disease 

Research on the status of the health of the English in medieval times indicates that people at that time suffered from few cholesterol-related diseases (including heart disease). People living in Briton in the Middle Ages had an infrequent history of heart disease and deaths caused by it. The main reason underlying the healthier heart condition of medieval English people

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was the use of natural food that was not loaded with carbohydrates; was not lacking in proteins; and was not rich in harmful fatty compounds.      

History of in Industrial Societies

Studies in the history of heart disease show that the occurrence of deaths resulting from heart problems was rare in pre-industrial societies. After the Industrial revolution of the 19th century, the incidence of deaths from went on a rise and more people became prone to dying from heart attacks.

Health professionals hold the more relaxed and sedentary lifestyle of the modern technological age responsible for this change. Before the advent of sophisticated machines, most people used to earn their living by some kind of manual work which consumed the extra fatty deposits of the body. In addition, manual labor was a vigorous physical activity that kept the blood circulation high through the body.

Diet and the History of Heart Disease

Diet also has a significant role in the history of heart disease. While the diet of an average person in pre-industrial world consisted of a higher proportion of natural foods like whole grains and unprocessed dairy products (milk, and curd etc.), the invention of machines also started the trend of making rich foods.

French fries, burgers, and processed dairy foods gained popularity. Their consumption became more a matter of social taste than individual choice. Also contributing to their popularity was the economy of time in preparing them (hence the term ‘fast food’). All these factors combined to make fast food the primary choice of the general public. The result was an increased incidence of heart disease.