1. Since 1949, a remarkable increase of cases with myocardial infarction, cardiac diseases and anginal pains among the hospital patients has been noted in Japan.There is a slight decrease in the incidences of these diseases during the war time from 1942 to 1945.The survey does not show a significant increase of myocardial infarction among out-patients, but it seems likely that it is also gradually increasing.The recent increase of myocardial infarction among the hospital cases in Japan seems to be partly due to the advancement of diagnostic methods, especially of precordial leads of E. C. G. However, similar increases in cardiac diseases and in patients with anginal pains probably indicate that the progress of diagnostic methods is not the only cause of the increase of myocardial infarction but there is an actua increase of myocardial infarction. Several causes such as participation of coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension etc. have been pointed out, but the arguments have not reached agreement.2. The differences seen in the geographical distributions of myocardial infarction and the patients with anginal pains are partly due to the character of the clinic participated in the study. For example, in Maekawa's Clinic (Kyoto) the incidence of myocardial infraction is very much higher than in any other clinics. As the number of patients with cardiac diseases is especially large in this clinic, the high incidence in this clinic cannot be taken as showing high incidence in Kyoto area. From this survey it is difficult to make a conclusive comment on the geographical difference in the incidence of myocardial infarction.
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