The heart is somewhat centrally located. Two
thirds of the heart is on the left side of the sternum. It is the size of your fist,
weighing in at a whopping pound and a half. Although it appears small, its
importance cannot be understated. The heart's central location offers it two
important tactical advantages when pumping blood to the human body. First, In order
for blood to be pumped to the
extremities at each side of the body, the
pump, or in the case the heart must be in the middle. Otherwise on one side pressure
from the pump would be to great, while on the other side of the body, pressure would be to
little. This allows for equal blood flow on each side of the body. Once again
demonstrating the importance of biological symmetry. The Second tactical advantage
provided by the hearts central location is that it is protected by one of the body best
protective organs, the rib cage. The rib cage is very strong near the center, where
the sternum is located thus the heart receives an extremely high level of protection.
This is vital to our survival, as the heart is one of the most essential organs in
the human body.
