V.: A comparative study of myocardial infarction in the white and Negro races. Circulation 13: 712

A review of 519 consecutive cases of mvocardial infarction reveals an unexpectedly high incidence in the Negro female. Not only does this catastrophe occur at an earlier age in the Negro woman, but also is less frequently associated with angina, pursues a more virulent course and is associated with a higher fatality rate than that recorded in the white race and in the Negro male. Comparative clinical features in the two sexes of the white and Negro races are presented. AREVIEW of the current literature re-flects the widespread and increasing interest in coronary artery disease. In spite of intensive investigation during the past 2 decades, its etiology is still unknown. ' Despite the encouraging observation that coronary atherosclerosis is a disease and not merely the result of aging,'-3 prevention or effective treat-ment cannot be anticipated until the patho-genesis of this condition is understood. While such possibilities as heredity, diet, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and anatomic factors have been investigated, basic research dealing with atherosclerosis has been largely influenced by the striking difference ill sex incidence. The greater frequency in males as compared to females has been reported to vary from 2: 1 to 6: 1.4 5 Perhaps the most sig-nificanit ratio was reported by White6 ' inl two separate groups of 100 patients, all under the age of 40 years, with coronary heart disease. In the first group were 96 males and 4 females; in the se(onsd, 97 males and 3 females. In attempting to clarify the cause of coronary atherosclerosis, Dock " also emphasized the sex difference. Many investigators have suggested that all ovarian hormone may be responsible for the protection of women, especially those under the age of the menopause.9- " Its accord with this concept, Katz and his associates'3 demonstrated the regression of coronary atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed chicks follow-ing the administration of estrogen. Barr'