Why is our heart on our left, and not on our right? One would say that there could be some evolutionary advantage to this, since dextrocardia situs inversus totalis rarely occurs.

 

I understand that there's normally less space on the right side because of the liver (the stomach is compressible), but what if all visceral organs are inverted? Is this merely a result of genetic drift?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQxpS0bEA&feature=related

 

It's a consequence of development, not an adaptation. Like many other things in our body, the heart is a twisted up tube, and just happens to twist in a certain way.

The heart is neither on the left or right side. We put our hand on the left side of our chest when feeling for a pulse because the lower part dips to the left.♣

It is developmental biology. Homeotic and homeobox genes.

 

Your right lung has three lobes. The Left side has two lobes.

 

The heart is on the left side where there is only two lung lobes.

 

The heart structure and function has a lot to do with its location.

 

The various pressures inside the vessels help maintain a framework, along with the chambers they are in.

 

Consult an embryology, developmental biology, anatomy, pathology, and many other sources/ texts.