Anaemia, aneurysms, angioplasty, as well as love, pastries and coffee; haemoglobin, endocarditis and fibrillation, but also emotion, imagination and happiness. These are just some of the entries in this ironic, yet soundly scientific glossary focusing on ourselves. Whether we are healthy or out of shape, we are all eager to be taken care of and comforted by the perfect cardiologist. This book draws upon literature and history, current events and everyday life, poetry and cuisine, and features both technical entries and definitions focusing on well-being and lifestyle. The author helps us get acquainted with healthy hearts without ever making our blood run cold.

Claudio Cuccia, a cardiologist, heads the Cardiovascular Department at the Poliambulanza Foundation in Brescia and is president of the Italian National Study Group on Atherothrombosis and Vascular Biology.