Initial historical descriptions of the angina pectoris.

The first description of angina pectoris available in history was given in the 17th century by Edward Hyde (1609-1674), a nonmedical person, in his biography, Life of Edward, Earl of Clarendon. The case described is an in-detail history of his father's ailment, which eventually resulted in his sudden death. Although the word Angina Pectoris was not used in this manuscript, the description is very suggestive of it. The first detailed account of the angina pectoris given by a medical person was by Dr. William Heberden (1710-1801) in the 18th century. He used the term Angina Pectoris (Pectoris Dolor) for the first time. Both of these initial historical descriptions of angina pectoris are portrayed.