Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-27
Textof Dr.. White 5 Report
On President Condition

DENVER, Sept. "a (R.--
FOLLOWING Is the teTt Of the
mems conference yesterday
nth Or. Paul Dudley White,
noted Boston heart specialist:
James C. HGgerty, presiden-
tai press secretary, and Dr.
Howcrd Snyder, the Presi-
dents personal physician. OF,
the Presidents condition.
Mr.. Hagerty-Ladies and gen.
tlemen, DR.. White has q plane
standing BY and Is returning "a
Boston today, but prior to hi;
departmental he Is already
about an hour over time he
graciously consented to come
down and talk TO you gentlemen
o little while about this case
So, Or. White.
DR.. White-May I speak sit
ting down?
Mr.. Hagerty-YeS. sir.
Or. White-It Is always more
comfortable.
am returning to Boston to-
day partly because the Presi-
dents condition Is so satisfac-
tory. and partly because he has
such excellent attention here,
medically and otherwise.
Diagnosis Confirmed
thought it would be Of in
terest to speak briefly Of what
the condition is that he has. In
the bulletin issued yesterday,
we stated that he had an I'M
questionable attack Of coronary
thrombosis. There is no doubt
whatsoever about the diagnosis
confirmed both clinically and
by electro-cardiografn.
Now quite probably, great
many Of you know what cor
onary thrombosis is. But in case
you don't. 1t is about the COM
monest important illness that
besets q middle-aged man In
this country today.
@. What?
DR.. White-I Beg your pardon?
It is the most common possibly
the most common important ill.,
ness that besets and attacks the
middle-aged American male in
this country today. just what the
situation was many years ago
we don't know, because we don't
have adequate records. But we
think it has increased a good
deal.
The coronary arteries. as you
know. are small arteries that
supply the heart muscle with
blood. And this is fundamen-
tally. you see, an arterial disease
and not primarily a heart dis
ease. 1t is the arteries that are
affected. But they are the ar
teries that supply the heart mus
Gle with blood. So they involve
the heart secondarily.
The process itself starts .nsid-
iously in the coronary arterial
wall. There are several coronary
arteries. The left one is a good
sized artery which has two
branches, and then there is the
right coronary artery: so there
are really three branches to the
coronary arterial system.
The wall becomes involved
the walls Of these arteries
especially in an American male =
progressively and in youth and
middle-age, but do not produce
trouble as a rule. until in the
40s. Sos or Cos. Sometimes there
are young cases. It is not a
matter wholly of aging. But age
enters in - the sex - the age -
heredity.
Good Inheritance
Fortunately. the President has
good inheritance--famiiy history.
And 1t is probable that the body
build enters in. And there are
a number Of other factors that
we are not sure about that are
environmental, which include
activity, occupation, stress and
strain-diet-and customs, 10
cal customs-use of tobacco
alcohol and so on, some of
which probably have little or no
Importance. Nobody as yet has
made an adequate study Of these
various underlying factors.
Why do we have so much of
this in this country today? We
don't know. But the Presidents
condition is a very common one,
and many times 1t comes much
earlier. The average age is
about so In this condition. So
you might say that the President
at 65-is that his age?-is Is
years ahead Of the game from
the standpoint of that type OF
illness. But many don't have
this condition until they are in
their SOS, 70's or sos. but Il
may come even In their SOS. II
is not just a matter of old age
When the arterial wall be-
comes thickened. in a variety Of
ways abnormal, that impinges
on the bore Of the artery-the
caliber of the artery itself. like
q tube. The caliber is decreased
50 there is less and less room
for the blood to go through. Anc
certain parts of these arteries
are more affected than othe,
parts. And as the wall narrows
sometimes the condition Of
angina pectoris develops. Anc
angina pectorls is a symptom
with pressure over the breast
bone. That is quite common
but the President had none.
Now ] know there is . likeli.
hood of some people thinking
that the golf he played the day
before his illness might have
been instrumental in the produc.
ton of this attack, or the high
altitude at which he has beer
lately.
HnVERTTSEMENT