A Paper on THE RADIOLOGY OF HEART DISEASE

In the diagnosis of heart disease we rely on symptoms and signs. While symptoms retain the high regard of physi cians, some physical signs have depreciated and are being revalued because they do not conform to the modern standards exacted by the sphygmomanometer, the electro cardiograph, and x rays. Such instruments represent the current demand for precision, even at the expense of simplicity. An instrumental method eliminates many fallacies inherent in the personal factor. For example, hypertension may be suspected (or not) from palpation of the pulse, but the sphygmomanometer gives us reliable information as to its presence and degree. Similarly, the electrocardiograph excels in the recognition of abnormal heart rhythms, not to mention certain myocardial defects which nothing else can reveal. X rays now claim a place in cardiac diagnosis because they furnish us with detailed evidence beyond the reach of percussion. Should any dislike this development, I would have them accept it as a modern application of a traditional method in medicine. It is inspection by #-ray sight (radioscopy), with an extension and permanent record of the visual picture (radiography). Percussion