What Is The Heart The heart (in Latin cor; in Greek kardia) is a muscular organ that pumps the blood through the vessels, supplying the body cells with oxygen and nutrients. Together with the brain, the heart is the center of one’s personality and emotional life. Location of the Heart The heart lies in the middle of the chest, between the right and left lung, behind and slightly to the left of the breastbone (Picture 1). Picture 1. Heart lies behind the breastbone (sternum) (source: Wikipedia.org) Heart Anatomy The heart is a hollow muscular organ, about the size of your fist and the shape of a pear, with a wide base above and a cone shaped apex below. It lies in a fibrous sac, known as the pericardium. The heart consists of the muscular wall and four chambers: above, there are the right and left atrium, that collect the blood from the veins, and below, there are the right and left ventricle, that expel the blood into the aorta (Picture 2). Atria are separated by the interatrial septum, and ventricles by the interventricular septum. Backflow of the blood within the heart is prevented by four heart valves (Picture 2): Tricuspid … Continue reading Heart Disease Types and Symptoms; Physiology, Pictures, Video