The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-07-09
BLOOD PRESSURE TESTS
RY DR.. w. A. EVANS.

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elastic tissues, this resistance is at .
minimum. When one is older and with
worn out tissues the elasticity is less,
and the resistance is at a higher level
Gibson has formulated a rough way
of estimating the force of the heart
beat from the blood pressure. His rule
is that o%ne-third of the blood pressure.
or ~systolic pressure, is due to the pulsS
pressure and two-thirds to the diastolto
pressure.
According to his rule, II a man has
q blood pressure of $50 he should nave
a pulse pressure of so n q diastolio
lation.
It may vary materially, n there IL
where one of the dangers from &C
cepting blood pressure on its tacs
without further analysis comes In. For
Instance, there may be an increase in
resistance in the vessel walls. but al
! the same time heart disease may Dc
present. The resistance would increase
the diastolic pressure, but the limping
heart would pump less effectively than
normal. In consequence the pulse pres
sure would be relatively decreased; M
normal relation Of pulse pressure, Il.
diastolic pressure. 2; to systoiic pres
sure, 8. would be disturbed.
Outside the variations due to ago
and disease. there are variations
called physiological. There VIII De a
variation according to muscular
normal. A physically weak person
will have low pressure. and a physi-
cally strong one a high one. Obesity
adds a little to he blood pressure.
Active exercise will add 20 to the
blood pressure. if the record is made
soon thereafter. A full meal will in
crease the pressure 20 during the next
hour. The pressure should be taken
sitting upright. and the cuff on the
arm should be at the level Of the
heart.
A change in posture from he erect
to the horizontal causes an increase in
the blood pressure. If one lies down
five minutes and then sits up it will
cause a fall in pressure.
The pressure falls about % during
the early hours Of a heavy sleep. and
then gradually rises through the night.
Early the next morning it is still low.
During the day there is a gradual rise.
and the maximum Is reached late in
the day.. The range from deep sleep
to shank of the day may be as high as
40.
Pain. anxiety and violent emotion
cause sharp rises. Excessive draughts
OF water will raise the pressure 5 to
10. Large amounts Of Deer cause a
marked rise. Strong alcoholic drinks
cause a sharp short rise.
Habitual drinkers develop a chronic
high pressure. not much augmented by
a single drink. Excessive smoking
during a short period of time causes
a rise of 20. Habitual smokers usually
have a low pressure.
For several years we have been
hearing much about blood pressure.
men have heard of Fl and q
proportion of them have had one
or more blood pressure examinations.
Inc insurance companies want to
the pressure Of those whom they
insure. h companies who offer their
insured a periodic examination in
Guide a blood pressure examination.
Cabot is quoted by Taught as fol-
IF I We're allowed only two instr,L
.ents of precision for my aid in physi-
cal diagnosis they woul be the stetho-
scope and the sphygnlomanometer (the
blood pressure apparatus). l regard
this measurement of the blood pressure
as the most important of all the re-
sources that have been added to our
armamentarium as physicians in the
last 15 years"
We are now in possession of s4,+;,+,,.
as to the average length of life of
select groups having certain blood
treasures. We can assume that there
no further need Of stimulating gen-
erai interest in blood pressure.
The man in the street wants IN
O - oAoop PiSSSu 1 n w men ha u
to a physician for a general nhysi.
eal examination he knows that. if M
pressure is made. the examinae
ion is not complete. When he comea
up for a life insurance examination he
expects to have a blood pressure taken
What we need now is a better an
.lysls and a better understandings Of
relation of different conditions to
'iood pressure. The bald fact that ones
hood pressure is $50 is not enough on
when to base an opinion.
The relation of age to blood pressura
8 somewhat understood, yet some peo-
DE need to know about that. The re-
ationship of eating, drinking. and
ileep1ng. of exercise, time of dav. pos
ure, excitement, all this needs to be
alked about more. BY we | mean tha
public, who now knows enough
bout the basic subject, blood pressura
o be ready for the next Resemblance
the relation between systolic. dias-
Ole. and pulse pressure.
Finally, 1t is time to begin general
discussion of the relation Of different
diseases to blood pressure and Of tina
possibility of raising or lowering blood
PRESSURE by changing ones mode of lifa-
In 1918 Bermuda shipped more than
5,UOO pounds of onion seed to the Uni