History Main / HeartInTheWrongPlace

Anatomically, the human heart is located beneath the lower sternum, with only a very slight tilt to the left. Because of this, anatomists, being very precise people, say that the heart (meaning the ''centre'' of the heart) lies to the left of the sternum. In fiction, this position is greatly exaggerated, and it is common to depict it as lying just under the left shoulder, level with the armpit, in a position where the left lung ought to be. The thumping sensation that people feel in the upper-left chest that creates this impression is actually the aortic pulse.

** In ''Literature/StormFront'', the victims slain by the exploding-heart curse are described as having holes on the upper left side of their chests. (Fortunately, the graphic novel adaptation rectifies this mistake.)

* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E5TreehouseOfHorrorIV Treehouse of Horror IV]]", Homer tries to stake Vampire Mr. Burns. He hammers in a stake with a dramatic declaration, only for Lisa to point out he just staked Burns' ''[[GroinAttack groin]]''.

* In a ''[[Franchise/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' Halloween special, Homer tries to stake Vampire Mr. Burns. He hammers in a stake with a dramatic declaration, only for Lisa to point out he just staked Burns' ''[[GroinAttack groin]]''.

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' in the episode "Friends Without Benefits", which portrays Meg's heart as being at [[BodyHorror the top of her head]], hence why she's seldom seen without her hat.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situs_inversus Situs inversus,]] a rare congenital condition in which the major visceral organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal positions; it may or may not include the heart.

* The signature pastry of Voodoo Doughnut, a specialty shop in Portland, Oregon, is a chocolate-frosted doll-shaped doughnut with raspberry filling. It comes equipped with a pretzel-stick "pin" stuck into its "heart", which is well over on the left side.

* Emulated by [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-2295]], an anomalous organ-replacing teddy bear with a pin resembling an anatomically-correct heart pinned to its left breast.

* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'', the villain snatches the heart from the left side of the sacrificial victim's chest. His attempt to do the same to Indy likewise uses this trope.

* ''Literature/JamesBond'': ''Literature/DrNo'' tells James Bond how he survived reprisal from the Tong after embezzling funds - they chopped off his hands and shot him through the heart, or thought they did, but he was a rare case with his heart on the right side of his body.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': [[TheChessmaster Ocelot]] shoots [[spoiler: Fortune]] in the left side of the chest. [[SubvertedTrope This fails to be an immediate kill]], but that's ''[[DoubleSubversion not]]'' because he shot off-center but because the victim had a case of Situs Inversus.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Spock's heart is depicted as being on the right side on the lower part of the torso where a human's kidneys would lie.

* The "broken heart" piece in the game of ''Operation'' is positioned this way.
** Justified- ''It's broken.''

* Averted by ''ComicBook/IronMan'', whose heart-sustaining arc reactor is located in the center of his chest.
** Same in [[Film/IronMan the movie]], where the arc reactor is housed within a wide, wrist-deep hole exactly where his heart should be.
** Although the sheer size of the device [[DoubleSubversion means his heart would have to be pushed to the side to fit]].
* Discussed in ''[[ComicBook/RatMan1989 Rat-Man]]'': Boda Valker, while teaching his son Janus how to become a killer, explained that the idea of the heart being on the left is a stupid legend, and a lot of people got killed for it, since the victim didn't die immediatly from a hit on the left and could shot back.

** It's hinted, however, that this may be hypnotic imagery rather than the heart being ripped out.

* In the final scene of the 2015 horror film ''The Atticus Institute'', [[spoiler: the demonic presence, having shifted into Dr. West's body, makes its old host Judith's heart explode, complete with erratic heartbeats prior to the spurt of gore]]. This effect happens well above and to the left of the heart's actual location.

* Averted, strangely enough, by ''Film/{{Boogeyman}} 2''. While otherwise not even bothering with reality, a heart-removing scene appears to show the heart exactly where it should be.

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge3DawnOfTheDinosaurs'', when the acorn is abandoned by Scrat and Scratte, it drifts out to sea and washes up inside an intact ribcage on the beach, right where people who believe this trope ''expect'' a heart to be.