THE CAPILLARY BLOOD PRESSURE IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Although the anatomy and physiology of the capillaries have been of interest to physiologists for many years and have been the subject of many investigations, their importance in the dynamics of the normal circulation and in the study of pathologic states is just beginning to be appreciated. The studies of Krogh¹ and Richards² on the response of the capillaries to the functional needs of the tissues; those of Dale³ and Cannon⁴ on the importance of the capillary mechanism in shock; the researches of Weiss⁵ and his co-workers on the morphology of the capillaries and the character of the capillary flow in disease; and the studies of Kylin⁶ and Danzer and Hooker⁷ on the capillary blood pressure have within the last few years pointed out how essential a knowledge of the capillary function is to the clinician in his study of disease. The concept that the cardiovascular system is primarily adapted