An anatomy lesson and the quality of intermittence

Not only in the second century AD but also at the end of the second millennium, there was much debate on the structural and functional characteristics of the heart in different-sized mammals. Galen commented on the dissection of the heart of an elephant, whereas Meijler, a Dutch cardiologist, set out on a whale-ECG expedition to prove pre-existing assumptions too. The chain of thoughts is remarkably similar, in as far as human nature is driven by the aspiration to fill in the voids in pre-existing learning. As appreciation for our heritage of knowledge has somewhat receded into the background, a plea is made for reappraisal and the quality of being intermittent. (Neth Heart J 2007;15:239-41.)