115 



BLOOD PRESSURES IN MAN, NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL 307 



Among more recent investigations Alvarez (4) and his associates 

 made observations on systolic pressure (tactile method) on a very- 

 large number of University students (6000 men and 8934 women). 

 In women the average was 11 mm. lower than in men. In men (re- 

 clining after tepid shower bath) the pressures grouped mainly about 

 127 mm. at age of 16 and 118 mm. at 30; in women (standing) 118 mm. 

 at 16, 111 mm. at 24, 117 at 40. There is thus a noteworthy lowering 

 of systolic pressure in the early years of adult life, the average dropping 

 from age 17 to 21 in men and remaining at about the same level till 

 after 50; in women falling from 17 to 25, rising after 25 and especially 

 after the age of 40. After 45 the average pressure is higher in women 

 than in men. A fall of pressure was also noticed by Burlage who made 

 observations on 1700 girls by the auscultatory method; he found a 

 systolic pressure of 104 mm. at 9 years, 124 at 14 and 15, falling to 

 114 mm. at 18, then constant to 26. Alvarez notes that relatively high 

 pressure is common in young men — 45 per cent over 130 mm., 22 per 

 cent over 140 mm.; in young women, 12 per cent over 130 mm. and 

 2 per cent over 140 mm. Evidence of the occurrence of comparatively 

 high pressures in some young men is also to be found in the results of 

 Barach and Marks (7), Lee (81) and others. Alvarez pronounces his 

 extended investigation as not entirely satisfactory in establishing 

 normal systolic pressure standards for young men on account of the 

 lack of homogeneity, without arriving at any definite explanation of 

 the results, the possible causes of which he discusses — low pressures in 

 1918, raised in 1919, gradual return in 1920-21. Further there is the 

 disturbing observation that the averages even in 1918 were considerably 

 above those of high school boys of the same age in the same year. 



Conception and Bulatao (29), examining 717 subjects (average age 

 28) in the Phillipines, found in males S.115, D.79; in females S.116, 

 D.83. Pulse rate a little over 72. In Denmark, Faber (43) in 1000 

 healthy soldiers (ages 20 to 25) by the Riva Rocci method (recumbent) 

 found S. pressures of 110 to 130 mm. in 80 per cent, and higher or lower, 

 84 to 156 mm., in 20 per cent. Emphasis is laid on these great varia- 

 tions of systolic pressure in healthy men. Men of greater weight 

 showed higher pressures than others of the same height; with equal 

 weights blood pressure is lower, though the differences were slight, 

 in men of greater height. What are termed the "overfat" averaged 123 

 mm. as compared with 117 mm. for the "underfat." Diastolic pressures 

 are not recorded. The systolic pressures found by Faber agree with 

 those obtained by Tavaststjerna (124), whose average was 117 mm. 



