History of Angina

Abstract

Ladies and gentlemen, Angina Pectoris was first brought to the notice of the medical profession by William Heberden in 1772, although references to pain in the breast and arm in relation to disease affecting the heart and occurring on exercise are found in ancient Egyptian and Roman literature, and more particularly in the 17th and early 18th centuries. It was not until 1768, however, when Heberden read his paper entitled, “Some Account of the Disorder of the Breast”, before the Royal College of Physicians in London, that the condition was given the name of “Angina Pectoris”. Heberden’s observations were based on a study of twenty cases and by the time he had incorporated the description in his book, “Commentaries on the History and Cure of Diseases”, this number had grown to one hundred of which three were women, one was a boy twelve years old, and the rest were men of fifty years of age or over. In one or two of the patients mentioned original pain lasted for some hours; in one case the first attack continuing all night. Some died suddenly but these were more probably cases of myocardial infarction; in fact he mentioned that if the disease goes on to its height, the patients suddenly fall down and perish almost immediately.