THE PURPOSE of this paper is to present a brief, integrated synopsis of articles on arterial hypertension in the medical literature published from July 1, 1950, to Jan. 1, 1952. It is not the purpose to mention every item in that literature. While this admittedly may have a personal point of view, not to say bias, we hope that it will stimulate the reader rather than bore him with a mere recital of the published reports. The material in this paper will be considered under the following general headings: Etiology and Pathogenesis, Pathologic Physiology, Pathologic Anatomy, Course and Prognosis, and Treatment. Two interesting symposia on hypertension have been published in 1951 which give background material as well as recent work.1
ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS
The etiology of essential hypertension remains unknown. Nothing basically new has been added to previous ideas of pathogenic mechanisms in elevated blood pressure. These mechanisms remain