The Progressive Nature of Cardiac Failure

It is of use from time to time to take stock, so to speak, of our knowledge of a particular disease, to see exactly where, we stand with regard to it, to inquire to what conclusions the accumulated facts seem to point, and to ascertain in what direction we may look for fruitful investigation in the future. —Osler.¹ Heart disease is the most frequent cause of death in the United States today. It causes not only many premature deaths but also a great amount of crippling or disabling illness. The control of heart disease is thus a problem the solution of which is of first importance to the public health. It is obvious that the most successful method of preventing or postponing death from heart disease is to prevent the occurrence, to reduce the severity or to shorten the duration of the conditions leading to heart disease. Speaking