History of Thoracic Surgery

Ancient man realized that the chest housed the vital organs of the body for severe thoracic wounds were generally fatal. The vulnerability of the heart influenced the followers of primitive religions to consider the heart as the seat of the soul. Around 3000 B.C. the ancient Egyptian priests believed that to enter the kingdom of heaven, the heart must be weighed against the feather of truth[1] (Fig. 1-1). Many centuries would pass before sufficient physiological knowledge would be gained and surgical techniques developed to provide surgeons the necessary skills to fly in the face of age old superstitions and traditions by deliberately operating upon the organs within the chest. Space limitations restrict the amount of material that may be presented.