Title
Arterial Hypertension: Its Diagnosis and Treatment (1945)
Author
Authors: Irvine H. Page, M.D. & Arthur Curtis Corcoran, M.D.
Publisher: The Year Book Publishers, Inc., Chicago
Edition: First edition (1945)
Image
Description
This 1945 hardcover medical text, Arterial Hypertension: Its Diagnosis and Treatment, presents a detailed study of hypertension from two pioneers in cardiovascular research: Dr. Irvine H. Page, a foundational figure in hypertension science, and Dr. Arthur C. Corcoran, both associated with the Cleveland Clinic and the Lilly Laboratory for Clinical Research in Indianapolis.
The volume is structured into clinical chapters, such as Chapter 7: Circulation in Early Hypertension, which explores the cardiovascular evolution of the disease, functional and structural changes in the vasculature, and the concept of “vascular adaptation.” Their work here shows a shift toward understanding hypertension as a chronic, systemic condition rather than simply a symptom.
Condition
Maroon clothbound hardcover with black and gold block titling.
Spine and cover show mild rubbing and corner wear
Pages are clean and tightly bound
IU School of Medicine discard stamp inside front leaf
No annotation or highlighting
Some mild age toning to interior paper
Gallery
Historical context
Published at the end of World War II, this book emerged just as the modern framework for chronic disease management was beginning to take shape. Irvine Page would later co-discover serotonin and help define the renin-angiotensin system, making this an important pre-breakthrough reference in the field of hypertension.
Before reliable pharmaceutical treatments (e.g., thiazides in the 1950s), hypertension was often managed through bed rest, dietary salt restriction, and sedation. This book marks the scientific push for better understanding, documentation, and categorization of disease progression, staging, and outcomes.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
Dr. Irvine Page was one of the first to propose a neurogenic origin of hypertension, and he later became president of the American Heart Association.
Page and Corcoran helped popularize the term “malignant hypertension.”
The book was stamped “Discarded” by the IU School of Medicine Library in 1993—nearly 50 years after publication.
Chapter 7 discusses a concept now recognized as early vascular remodeling, predating modern terms.
Why it is in the Cabinet
This book connects directly to the evolution of cardiovascular medicine—a turning point in how hypertension was understood, diagnosed, and approached in clinical practice. Its link to historic institutions like Lilly Laboratories and its authors’ later impact in medicine make it a landmark reference and a worthy artifact in the Cabinet’s collection.
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