Reminiscences of the Veterans Administration trial of the treatment of hypertension.

Drug treatment of essential hypertension was of no benefit. The question was hotly debated during the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, many authorities strongly opposed such treatment, arguing that it was first necessary to find the cause or causes of hypertension before it could be treated effectively. This controversy provided the stimulus for the Veterans Administration (VA) Cooperative Study on Antihypertensive Agents. The idea to carry out a controlled trial evolved gradually; it began with a trip to Germany