While science now accepts that all blood veins flow to the heart, this was not understood at the time and would not be proven until the 17th century by the physician William Harvey.

[2] The earliest known occurrence of the phrase vena amoris was from Henry Swinburne, an English ecclesiastical lawyer whose work covering marriage, "A Treatise of Espousal or Matrimonial Contracts", was published posthumously in 1686.

Swinburne identifies the vena amoris as a vein of blood passing to the heart, found in the fourth finger of the left hand.

"[3] He cites unnamed ancient sources for this belief and purports an Egyptian connection, most likely referring to a work by the fourth century Roman writer Macrobius.

[4]Another early reference, not specifying the hand, was by Isidore of Seville in his 7th century work De ecclesiasticis officiis XX, 8: Men have begun to wear a ring on their fourth finger starting from the thumb, since there is a vein here which links it to the heart—something which the ancients thought worth noting and honouring.