Action of Atropine on the Cardiovascular System in Normal Persons

THE MAJORITY of clinical observations indicate that attacks of angina pectoris are prone to occur during the fourth, fifth and sixth decades, and that they are relatively infrequent either prior to or after this period. The symptoms of angina pectoris result when the blood supply to the heart muscle is inadequate for its needs at that moment. Gilbert,1in discussing vasomotor changes in the coronary arteries, called attention to the fact that this inadequate blood supply in many cases may be due completely, or in part, to anatomic changes in the vessels which render them unable to meet the increased demands that accompany the increased work of the heart, but he also stressed that a similar disproportion between the blood supply and demand will result if the vessels fail to increase in caliber in response to the increased needs, even though they may be anatomically intact. He stated that