Diseases of the Heart [antikvár]

Preface to the Third Edition Sufficient time has now elapsed and sufficient progress in cardiology has been made since the second edition of this book 10 years ago to justify a revised edition. It has been estimated that there have been more publications on cardiological subjects in the last 8 years than in all preceding years. This is an indication of the task involved in reflecting and evaluating the contributions to cardiology in the past decade. An increase of almost 700 pages in the size of the book despite extensive deletions of material in the previous edition provides a measure of the extent of this revision and of the quantity of new material added. Exceptional cooperation by my publishers, W. B. Saunders Company, and various special technics have been employed to keep all chapters of the book up to date virtually to the time of publication, and to include some current investigative activities which are still in press or being prepared for publication. The bibliography has been greatly extended and most of the references are to publications since the last edition. Many or most of the references in the previous edition have been deleted or replaced by newer bibliography. In the previous editions the titles of the articles were not included in order to conserve space and because the content of the references was indicated clearly by the text material containing the reference number. However, to satisfy numerous requests, all references added since 1956 now have the full title. The extent of the revision and the quantity of new material added prohibit more than mention of some of the subjects affected. Increasing interest in physical diagnosis and graphic methods as well as physiological diagnostic tests has been reflected in more extensive treatment of these subjects in the special chapters or sections on electrocardiography, vectorcardiography, phonocardiography, carotid, jugular venous and intracardiac pulses, cardiac catheterization, indicator dilution studies with dyes and radioisotopes, including the use of fiberoptic technics, and also in the discussions of the various diseases in which they are applicable. The enormous importance of angiocardiography has been recognized by the addition of a chapter on selective angiocardiography and left and right heart catheterization, as well as discussions of indications and findings in connection with the specific diseases. In particular, selective coronary angiography has been presented in connection with coronary heart disease, selective renal arteriography in connection with renovascular hypertension and pheo-chromocytoma and aortography in connection with dissecting aneurysm of the aorta, rupture of the sinus of Valsalva, origin of the coronary artery from the pulmonary vii