Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a 50th anniversary

In 1958, Donald Teare, a forensic pathologist in London, reported eight cases of sudden death caused by “asymmetrical hypertrophy or benign tumour” of the heart in the British Heart Journal. In this special issue of Heart, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Teare’s paper and examine its importance in four specially commissioned reviews, written by clinicians whose careers span the half a century since his publication. Discussions on genetics, pathophysiology and treatment are brought up to date in a series of original papers written by contemporary investigators.