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Achievements and Missed Opportunities

Ralph I. Horwitz, MD; Sarah M. Horwitz, PhD

Arch Intern Med. 1986;146(7):1429-1432.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Many great clinicians have believed that ischemic heart disease was inextricably linked to psychosocial factors. For example, Sir William Osler suggested that the cause of "arterial degeneration" would be found in "the worry and strain of modern life"; and William Harvey attributed a patient's heart disease to the observation that he "was overcome with anger and indignation which he yet communicated to no one." These descriptions are often echoed today by physicians and members of the public who believe that ischemic heart disease is caused, in part, by psychologic factors. Some of the strongest evidence linking psychosocial factors to ischemic heart disease comes from the studies of "type A" behavior pattern. Individuals with the type A pattern are described as aggressive, striving, ambitious, restless, and excessively concerned with time and deadlines. Individuals without these characteristics are classified as having the type B behavior pattern.

The principal . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations

Footnotes

Reprint requests to Yale University School of Medicine, Room 1E-61 SHM, PO Box 3333, New Haven, CT 06510 (Dr R. I. Horwitz).

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