The Heart of Leonardo

Mr Francis Wells is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, the United Kingdom's largest specialist cardio-thoracic hospital and most reputable cardiac centres.

Mr Wells is a recognized world leader in the field of mitral and tricuspid valve surgery. He has the largest experience in mitral valve reconstruction in the UK and amongst the largest in the world, with over 3,000 cases completed. He achieves a near 100% repair rate for fixing leaking mitral valves with mortality at less than 1.0% for first time procedures. His aim is to achieve a normally functioning valve.

He is also an accomplished artist with a specific interest in Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings of the heart.

This book contains all of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings on the heart and its physiology, accompanied by re-translations of all of the associated notes. All Leonardo's drawings have been interpreted in the light of modern knowledge by a practicing cardiac clinician and anatomist. The veracity of his work is proven against contemporary dissections of cardiac structure and comparison of his illustrations with contemporary images generated by Magnetic Resonance scanners and high definition ultrasound will astound the reader. Perhaps the most interesting element is the re-dissection of the Ox heart set against Leonardo's own drawings. His place in the greater scheme of anatomical development will be put into context with his ideas of man's place in the microcosm/macrocosm continuum.