A Healthy Heart
  

A Healthy Heart.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine has opened the exhibit "A Healthy Heart,” based on a book called, “The Invision Guide to a Healthy Heart,” by Alexander Tsiaras. The exhibit, which examines human anatomy for both the scientific and lay communities, is the third at the museum that is based on a book by Tsiaras.

Tsiaras believes that “there is a great educational need in this county for public health education. Many Americans have no idea why their bodies are failing them or what they can do to make a positive change in their health.” The book is an educational tool to assist people in understanding what is inside their bodies, how the cardiovascular system works and what they can do to keep it healthy.

“Red blood cells”: A close-up of red blood cells within a capillary. Over 99 percent of the blood vessels in the body are capillaries, even though they only hold 5 percent of the body’s blood.

By using full body scans, ultra powerful microscopes, and molecular modeling tools, Tsiaras accentuates the body’s intricately constructed cardiovascular network and isolates the heart in a way that has never been seen before. The images offer unparalleled views of the heart as it develops in a fetus and grows into a complex network of arteries and veins, the heart as it becomes infected with disease and the heart as an essential organ to the rest of the body.

“Balloon”: A balloon angioplasty. A thin stent is crimped over a balloon and threaded through the narrow segment of a plaque-filled artery. Pressure is used to inflate the balloon, expanding the stent, and the balloon is then removed, thus opening the artery for blood flow.

“Alexander Tsiaris and his group translate complex data- particularly medical images- and shape them into beautiful, approachable and easy-to-understand visual narratives,” said Mehment Oz, Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery, at New York- Presbyterian Columbia Hospital.

Tsiaras, an internationally recognized photojournalist, artist, and writer, is president and CEO of Anatomical Travelogue, Inc. of New York, NY. He is the author of “From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds," and “The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed.”

At the age of 19, Tsiaras authored his first book, "Death Rituals of Rural Greece." He later authored "Body Voyage" and co-authored "Information Architects." As an artist and technologist, he has participated in developing scientific visualization software to enable him to “paint” images.

Tsiaras is the recipient of numerous awards, including the World Press Award and several Art Directors Awards. His work has been featured on numerous television programs and on the covers of "Life," "Time," "The New York Times Magazine," and “Smithsonian.”

“Four systems”: Volume rendering software and magnetic resonance imaging can be used to create 3-D images of body systems such as bone, soft tissue (organs), or anatomical structures (arteries).

“A Healthy Heart is the next in a series of remarkable ventures into anatomical imaging and the work of Alexander Tsiaras and the Anatomical Travelogue staff. It’s an honor to share this with our visitors and extend this astounding view into human form and function,” said Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., the museum’s director. “The Invision Guide to a Healthy Heart”, by Alexander Tsiaras is published by Harper Collins and is available for purchase at www.amazon.com.

The exhibit is running indefinitely through 2006. It will be on display at the museum, which is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. and Elder Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Docent-led tours are offered to walk-in visitors at 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. More information can be found by calling 202-782-2200. Admission and parking are free.