ABSTRACT
A significant milestone of the long road leading to the development of scientific chemistry is the age of iatrochemistry that replaced the thousand-year-long existence of alchemy in the 16th century. The analysis of human bodily fluids as an opportunity for making a diagnosis is as old as the development of modern medicine. Until the mid-19th century, doctors were chemists too. Urine remained the primary subject of examination, and the light microscope became the tool for observing sediments. Enzymes are present in very small concentrations in the blood serum. Their direct measurement would be very complicated, but the products that the enzymes generate in a short time at a high concentration can be easily measured. Cardiovascular diseases had first emerged in the United States as the leading cause of death. They belong to the so-called diseases of civilization since the main risk factors are inadequate diet, increased calorie intake, sedentary lifestyle, and stress.
