Normal Blood Pressure and Hypertension.

Because of the high incidence of hypertension and because of the new therapeutic measures available, all physicians who are concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension will find this a valuable book as well as an interesting excursion into the history of medicine. The authors devote approximately half of the book to the history of the technique of blood pressure measurement from the earliest known measurement, by Hales in 1733, up to the present time. They trace the parallel attempts of the pioneer physicians to establish criteria for normal and abnormal pressures. The development of the present-day accepted standards, primarily from statistics from insurance examinations, is explained. Convincing arguments for the revision of these standards are presented An interesting discussion of the effect of age, sex, emotional states, posture, sleep, soft tissue and vascular factors, weight, race, and other miscellaneous factors on the level of blood pressure is thought-provoking.