BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE TROPICS. A PRELIMINARY 



REPORT. 1 



By W. E. Musgbave and A. G. Sison. 



(From the Department of Clinical Medicine, Philippine Medical School, 



Manila, P. I.) 



Statements suggesting that the lowered blood pressure found in this 

 climate may be considered as one of the etiologic factors in tropical 

 pathology are scattered here and there throughout the literature of 

 tropical medicine, but so far we have been unable to find any published 

 observations showing that blood pressure really is influenced by tropical 

 environment. 



We are fully aware of the difficulties in the way of accurately determin- 

 ing what part of any variation may be peculiar to local conditions, as 

 well as to the danger of conclusions which may be drawn from a small 

 series of records. However, the results in the cases so far studied have 

 been so striking that they are offered for discussion and criticism. 



All of the cases are healthy adults from 25 to 40 years of age, and for 

 the sake of convenience have been divided into the following three groups : 



(a) Ninety-seven foreigners, who are for the greater part Americans from 

 the Philippine Civil Service and officers and soldiers of the United States Army 

 serving in the Philippines. 



(6) Forty Filipinos, largely selected from the student class and from the 

 local police forces. 



(e) Ten French Sisters of Charity. 



Although both systolic and diastolic readings, and, in many cases, tracings 

 have been made, only the systolic records are used in this report. All the de- 

 terminations have been made with the same Erlanger instrument; the readings 

 have been made by the same persons and, in most instances, the examination 

 has been repeated at least once. 



"■Bead at the first biennial meeting of the Far Eastern Association of Tropical 

 Medicine, held in Manila, March 12, 1910. 



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