Abstract
Essential hypertension is a term employed to indicate the existence of abnormally high systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure in individuals who have neither inflammatory kidney disease, urinary tract obstruction or other disorders which are known to result in elevation of the blood pressure. Thus it iirould seem that the term "essential hypertension" assumes the role of a " catch-all", being used only when all known causes of high blood pressure have been excluded. | The situation is such that, although great amounts of research are being done, we still have very little understanding of the fundamental causes. However, be that as it may, all disorders that we might choose to label as "essential hypertension" have two things in common: first, elevation of the blood pressure and, second, the absence of either primary, parenchymal renal disease or other conditions which are known to produce hypertension (l). It is science's fond hope that eventually the term "essential" will disappear, having been whittled away by successive discoveries as to this disease's etiology.