Humanity is guided by the feeling that the symbol of the heart is of great importance. In numerous civilizations it has been considered the organ of life because it is unique, animated by involuntary movements rather than conscious will, linked with the blood that it circulates around the body, and is located in the central anatomical position of the thorax.

The heart has, therefore, always inspired artists and creators: painters throughout different periods of art history, draftsmen, and sculptors… but also writers, jewelers, and, more recently, filmmakers, photographers, fashion designers, and advertisers.

This booklet presents a range of works of art, all by well-known artists, depicting or inspired by    the heart. Each is accompanied by a commentary that introduces the artist and the context in which the work was created. Each commentary also includes a highly subjective analysis of the work, the result of a personal dialogue between the artist and myself as the viewer, through the image presented. Others may well have feelings or experience emotions that differ from  mine when looking at these works.

In the winter of 1632, Dr Nicolaes Tulp conducted a public dissection in Amsterdam, assisted by the city’s leading surgeons. Commissioned by the powerful Guild of Surgeons, Rembrandt (1606-1669) immortalized the event in The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, one of the finest masterpieces in the history of Western art. It is a painting that never ceases to intrigue. Why was the dissection public? What did Rembrandt know of anatomy? Whose corpse was it?

Great artworks all have a tale to tell. They hold us spellbound, speak to us across the ages, tell of the hand that fashioned them, hint at the circumstances of their creation. A looking glass held up to their times, they shine through the centuries and speak to us of ours.

Behind these universally admired works lie unusual events or quirky ideas, whims or epiphanies, which bring their transcendence within a human compass

and take them down from the pedestal of great art and into our hearts and minds. Why, for example, did the virtuoso of abstract art Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) paint flowers? What prompted Goya (1746-1828) to paint two versions of the same bewitching yet unat- tainable woman? Who was the most beloved model of the Impressionist painter Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)? By walking around a canvas spread on the floor, pouring and dripping paint onto it, was Jackson Pollock (1912- 1956) trying to become part of his own painting?

This original and visually compelling book offers sur- prising behind-the-scene insights into the ferment of artistic creation and brings to the fore the little-known backstories of great works of art. Turn these lavishly il- lustrated pages and read tales and anecdotes that open windows into the minds of great artists and unlock the secrets of their masterpieces.

from the art of lunatics to works of art

How should we interpret the growing public interest in art in all its forms (classical, contemporary or marginal), large exhibitions, festivals of all kinds, all-night events, and late-night museum openings? Leaving aside patterns of behavior resulting from a particular trend or social conformism, it may be possible to identify fundamental questions through this curiosity and appetite for culture.

Questions relating to the nature of humans and their capacity to create.

Questions relating to this desire that leads some to find sounds, forms, colors, words, stories, constructions and harmonies outside of the real world.

Questions relating to this need to search inside oneself for feelings that the surrounding world cannot provide.

Questions on the permanent duality between the creator, who provides things to look at, to hear or to understand and the person perceiving the creation. This perception may appear passive, but in reality it is absolutely essential to the meaning of the work.

The mechanisms of creation seem to be both inherent and alien to humans, to such an extent that irrational hypotheses are almost inevitable to make sense of them, or at least to enable us to tolerate their existence.

Madness, a loss of reason and artificial paradises are among the possible responses. A link between mental illness and creative genius has often been suggested. The psychiatrist Auguste Marie adopted this line of reasoning when collecting the works of his patients, stating that “If we were to analyze the artistic works of madness in detail, we would find reflections of all stages of human thought since its origins, its testing, its errors, its failures, its passions and its progress.” (1905, Paris).

Through its history, which has been eventful and rich, its constitution and its nature, the Sainte-Anne Collection provides both a metaphor for this question and an example of the multiplicity of creative resources.

Nothing in the brain makes sense except in the light of structure, to paraphrase the celebrated biologist, Theodosius Dobzhansky, who was speaking of evolution, a process that ultimately led to the genesis of this extraordinary organ.

Accordingly, “Insights into the Brain”, a gentle play on words, is devoted to the structure of the human brain and offers a concise yet striking visual introduction into its complexity and beauty at the cellular and circuit level. It has no major medical or scientific pretentions, no claims to be comprehensive, and no profound message. Nonetheless, inspection of these images should enhance our appreciation of the diversity of those interacting elements which collectively comprise our brains and which ultimately yield

consciousness, mind, language, cognition, and other complex, emergent functions.

Interaction is very much the operative word since the brain is a complex system composed, as amply depicted herein, by networks of neurons and networks in neurons. Appreciation of this facet of brain structure has profoundly enhanced our understanding of its dynamic organization and function.

Nonetheless, the brain still conceals many mysteries, such as: the nature of the interface between cerebral circuits and mind; precisely how genes and environment interact throughout life to yield unique adult phenotypes like you and me; how best to preserve cerebral homeostasis (mental health); and how to restore it when perturbed. These are challenges for our 21st century in much the same way as the deciphering of its core structure was a mission for our predecessors in the 20th. Success in this venture will depend on the intensive pursuit of basic research in the field of neuroscience, and on the further development of sophisticated techniques for studying structure like: fluorescent light microscopy (individual cells and their substructures); magnetic resonance imaging (brain regional structure) and diffusion tensor imaging (fiber projections). These methodologies generated many of the stunning images shown herein.

While not specifically depicted in this document, the delicacy and refinement of the images hint at the vulnerability of the brain to potential disruption. Indeed, like all complex networks (including the eponymous brain coral of tropical seas), the highly resilient human brain is nonetheless susceptible to multiple, sustained, and uncontrolled “stressors.” Destruction of coral reefs and other ecosystems negatively impacts the well-being of humanity, while exposure of individuals to adverse genetic, developmental, and environmental risk factors perturbs the cells and circuits depicted herein to trigger disorders of mental health. Correspondingly, avoidance of impending disruption by the use of early-warning signs (biomarkers) is a core objective of current research. In addition, efforts are being made to find therapies that normalize brain function and reinstate the equilibrium of cerebral networks.

To conclude, improved knowledge of the structure and neurobiological substrates of the brain, in health and in disease, provides a foundation for progress towards the more effective treatment and prevention of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Professor Dr Mark J. MILLAN, BA, MA, PhD (Cantab)

Why a glossary for phlebologists?

The short answer is that we lacked a glossary, which is something the phlebology community needs. In reality, the idea started in 2008 when, with the fruitful and essential collaboration of my great friend Bo Eklöf (Sweden), we created a transatlantic consensus document on chronic venous disorders named VEIN-TERM. This consensus document included thirty-three broadly used venous terms that are related to the management of chronic venous disorders of the lower extremities. In the literature on venous disease, there were discrepancies in the applicability and interpretation of these terms. The terms selected for inclusion in the VEIN-TERM consensus document were stratified into three different groups—clinical, physiological, and descriptive. To our knowledge, thirteen of the terms had never been defined previously in the venous literature.

My disciple in deep venous reconstructive surgery, Oscar Maleti (Italy), was enthusiastic about this very important project and was happy to join us in producing a glossary for phlebologists covering both acute and chronic venous disease. He agreed to revise the list of terms and their definitions with Bo and to be in charge of the illustrations and figures.

One of the difficulties of this project was deciding how to build the glossary. I first selected about 1000 terms to be defined, limiting the topic to anatomy, pathology, physiology, and pathophysiology affecting the upper and lower limbs, including the pelvis, in acute and chronic venous disease. The letters were divided into six groups, which each contained around 130 to 170 terms. For each group of terms, a team of four specialists was appointed to work on the definitions, and a leader was selected to head the group and to distribute the terms among the team members. Each group also contained at least one native English speaker.

Servier supported the entire project without intervening in the definitions provided by the teams of specialists. In addition, Servier also agreed to translate the English terms into six other languages—French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. An electronic version will also be made available, and the glossary will be updated regularly.

I must also thank the Servier team for its help, particularly Françoise Pitsch, who, from the beginning, heartily supported the project, and Marie Claire Rettori, who organized the planning of the glossary with her usual efficiency and who facilitated my task. Furthermore, I am particularly happy and proud that Robert Kistner (Hawaii, USA) wrote the foreword for this glossary. I sincerely believe that the glossary will be very useful for all scientists involved in phlebology.

It has been a tremendous adventure and I would like to thank all the participants for their constant support and help.

Michel Perrin

Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience is a quarterly publication that aims to serve as an interface between clinical neuropsychiatry and the neurosciences by providing state-of-the-art information and original insights into relevant clinical, biological, and therapeutic aspects. Each issue addresses a specific topic, and authors are invited by the Editorial Board. All contributions are reviewed by members of the Editorial Board and submitted to expert consultants for peer review.

Indexed in MEDLINE, Index Medicus, Science Citation Index Expanded, EMBASE, Scopus, and Elsevier BIOBASE.

Impact factor: 3.67

Full Open Access on PubMed Central

Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine is published three times a year, and it is a journal for cardiologists and physicians who have an interest in cardiology. The aims are to provide up-to-date information on specific areas of cardiovascular medicine and to encourage an open dialogue between key opinion leaders and readers about the topics, guidelines, registries, etc, that have impressed and captivated them at various meetings and congresses throughout the year. One issue will be devoted to the Heart Failure congress and another to the European Society of Cardiology congress. The third issue, “The Year in Cardiology,” will provide an overview of the most important events and information that occurred in cardiology throughout the year. Dialogues is indexed in EMBASE and Scopus and is part of the continuing medical education program of several major international cardiological societies.

Indexed in : EMBASE; Scopus

Phlebolymphology is an international scientific journal entirely devoted to venous and lymphatic diseases.

The aim of Phlebolymphology is to provide doctors with updated information on phlebology and lymphology, which have been written by well known international specialists.

Phlebolymphology is scientifically supported by a prestigious editorial board.

Phlebolymphology has been published four times per year since 1994, and, thanks to its high scientific level, is included in several databases.

Phlebolymphology comprises an editorial, articles on phlebology and lymphology, reviews, news, and a congress calendar.

Heart and Metabolism is a journal focusing on the management of cardiovascular diseases. Its aim is to inform cardiologists and other specialists about the newest findings on the role of metabolism in cardiac disease and to create awareness of their potential clinical implications.

The management of patients with angina, as well as those with heart failure and hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, is also discussed.

Moreover, the effects on the heart of metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus are highlighted.

Each issue includes an editorial, followed by articles on a key topic. Experts in the field explain the metabolic consequences of cardiac disease and the multiple potential targets for pharmacotherapy in ischemic and non ischemic heart disease.

This is the web edition of the printed journal.

For your convenience, references are directly linked to PubMed abstracts.