A change of heart

The Framingham Heart Study was launched not long after Franklin Delano Roosevelt succumbed to a massive stroke, the result of runaway blood pressure, at a time when cardiologists in the United States numbered fewer than 400 and heart disease was the nation's number- one cause of death. The study asked 5,209 citizens of Framingham, Massachusetts-who overate, smoked, and suffered heart attacks and strokes to the same extent as the rest of the United States-to undergo biennial physicals, blood tests, and detailed interviews concerning their behavior. The results changed the course of medical history. Written by the Study's current director and a national health reporter, A Change of Heart is the first account of this cooperation between the U.S. Public Health Service and the people of Framingham.