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'State Of The Heart' Probes The History Of Our Oft-Overlooked Organ

Cardiologist Haider Warraich investigates the history and science of the heart in his new book.
Cardiologist Haider Warraich investigates the history and science of the heart in his new book.
Cardiologist Haider Warraich investigates the history and science of the heart in his new book.
Credit Courtesy Haider Warraich
Cardiologist Haider Warraich investigates the history and science of the heart in his new book.

Heart disease kills more people than any other disease in the world. But as cardiologist Haider Warraich illuminates in his new book, it gets less funding and less attention than numerous other diseases, including cancer. Host Frank Stasio talks with cardiologist Haider Warraich his new book, 'State of the Heart: Exploring the History, Science, and Future of Cardiac Disease.'

State of the Heart: Exploring the History, Science, and Future of Cardiac Disease” (St. Martin's Press/2019) takes a deep-dive into the emergence of cardiology as a field of study. Warraich goes back to ancient Egypt and the Greeks, who did not quite nail the science, but certainly recognized that heart defects existed. He continues the journey through history to examine whether cardiology experts have, at different points in time, held back potential developments in the field because of their own confidence in their expertise, and he details the most promising recent developments in cardiology today.

Warraich’s writing is anchored in his first-person accounts of interactions with patients, and he shares those stories and more with host Frank Stasio ahead of his book launch at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on Monday, July 29.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.