Hi

As noted earlier, it does rather sound like the actual question is really about antler rather than heart bones. But heart bones are rather more interesting, so...

I also came across this group of bones when researching horses in the veterinary literature, where they are considered rare. 

Anatomy

They appear best known in bovids, especially cattle. Most references appear to associate the formation with larger animals, but you'll see below that a study of otters also found these bones. Like the hyoid, these cartilaginous structures appear to calcify with age in some animals. This would seem to suggest that such ossification might also occur in humans, but I'm not aware of the literature. Calcification would mean less flexibility but more structural support -- not sure what the effect is on heart function, but my general thought is probably not helpful to healthy heart function and suggestive of poor muscle function, not a good thing in a muscular pump... So, given it is generally rare and found in older animals such ossification would be considered a pathology.

os cordis dexter (5-6 cm), literally: bone of the heart, right
os cordis sinister

There is the suggestion from these phrases that there are often two bones, but the third term (trigona ossea) indicates three or a triangular shape (see description below).
The pictures suggest irregular ossification of the triangular fibrous tissues which may form one or more un-linked 'bones' or more complete masses.

The left atrioventricular ring is closely connected, by its right margin, with the aortic arterial ring; between these and the right atrioventricular ring is a triangular mass of fibrous tissue, the Fibrous trigone, which represents the os cordis seen in the heart of some of the larger animals, as the ox and elephant.

Os cordis of mature Dromedary camel heart (Camelus dromedaries ... by A Balah.
available at: bdvets.org/JAVAR/V1I3/a26_130-135.pdf
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1468091/
Bones in the heart skeleton of the otter (Lutra lutra)
MONIKA EGERBACHER,1 HEIKE WEBER,2 and SILKE HAUER3
Our results establish the presence of bony material in the heart skeleton of the otter, a small mammalian species. This finding indicates that differentiation of bone is not exclusively related to the size of the organ. Increasing amounts of calcified cartilage and bone correlated with increasing age.

There are images here:
http://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id71259/
They appear such that they would be generally unlikely to survive well archaeologically or be recognised and recovered...

Folklore/ritual/amulets

I wasn't aware of this aspect, until quite recently, which is quite fascinating. Sort of similar to bezoar stones and toad-stones (bufonite). These both seem to be considered anti-poison amulets.

The heart-bone appears to be also commonly called the heartstone.

Such a deer's heartstone supplies the name of one of historical (Tudor) writer, CJ Sansom's books, which I just happen to be reading now. He describes it as the right of the one who kills the stag. It is supposed to stop the deer from dying of fear and give similar strength and courage to the wearer.
www.cjsansom.com/Shardlake


Finding an archaeological specimen would surely be a bit of very good luck...

cheers
Pam


Pamela J Cross
 Zoo/Bioarchaeology
Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford,  BD7 1DP  UK
p.j.cross (at) student.bradford.ac.uk  / pajx (at) aol.com
http://www.barc.brad.ac.uk/resstud_Cross.php
http://bradford.academia.edu/PamCross

Life at the Edge  "liminality...enable[s] evolution and growth ... Boundaries and edges also characterize the dynamics of landscapes ... environments..[both intellectual and physical]." Andrews & Roberts 2012, Liminal Landscapes


-----Original Message-----
From: Günther Karl Kunst <[log in to unmask]>
To: ZOOARCH <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tue, Jul 5, 2016 9:30 am
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Bone of the heart

Dear all,
it is, in analogy to Nadja's remarks on red deer, the "Herzkreuz(l)" ("heart-cross") of alpine ibex, used as apotropaic and allegedly, among other ibex-products, responsible for the extirpation of this species in the late medieval/early postmedieval. Must be plenty of ethnological literature on it (Couturier's monograph?).
all best wishes
Karl



Am 05.07.2016 um 17:05 schrieb Suzanne Pilaar Birch:
Hi all, 

This is a really fascinating thread as I came across reference to a bone used as an amulet the way that Naomi mentioned, but derived from sheep/goat. At the time I thought it was most likely referring to a hyoid. I wonder if these develop in old ovicaprines as well as deer? Not so familiar with mediaeval/historical literature on such things, but this just jogged my memory. 

Best

Suzie

--
Dr. Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch

Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
Department of Geography
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, USA





On Tue, Jul 5, 2016 at 10:02 AM, John Fletcher <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Dear Arturo, Are you sure that ‘Cuerno de Ciervo’ is referring to the os cordis?  It might be simply antler which was, and of course still is in China, Korea etc, used as a vade mecum. Both the growing antler as well as the hardened antler weapon have been used in the pharmacopeia of many if not most cultures. I suspect that the remarkable ability to regenerate as an entire organ (unique amongst mammals for whom it is also the fastest growing tissue) caused an association with regeneration which caused it to be valued as a remedy for many ailments.
All best, John
 
From: [log in to unmask]" target="_blank" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Arturo Morales
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2016 1:49 PM
To: [log in to unmask]" target="_blank" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Bone of the heart
 
Dear Zooarchs,
 
Does anyone know the name given to the bone  found inside the heart of certain mammals, esp. ruminants? I believe it’s an ossification of interventricular ligaments/cartilages that develops as the animal grows old.
 
As one of my historian friends informs me,  it appears that in Medieval Spain, the bone of Red deer (“Cuerno de Ciervo”, lit. Red deer horn), was an important element of the local pharmacopeia but nobody could tell me whether this was in the case of Muslim medicine or, as seems more likely, a remedy used by Christians. If the later was the case, then I’d love to learn if this remedy was also in use in other European lands…………
 
Cheers,
 
Arturo