Interview with Raymond Gifford, Jr., MD

It is appropriate that Raymond Gifford, Jr., MD, is considered an icon of hypertension. Dr. Gifford has been actively involved in research and treatment efforts in the field of hypertension for more than 45 years. He has been a strong voice in correcting the myths and misconceptions that prevailed in the 1940s and early 1950s about this disease. Dr. Gifford and other physicians at the Mayo Clinic were among the first to recognize that lowering blood pressure could reverse some of the complications of severe hypertension. They demonstrated that reducing blood pressure would help clear retinal hemorrhages, relieve symptoms of congestive heart failure, and at least temporarily reverse the syndrome of malignant hypertension. Later in his career, at the Cleveland Clinic where he was chairman of the Department of Hypertension and Nephrology for many years, Dr. Gifford worked with Irv Page, Harriet Dustan, Emanuel Bravo, Ed Frohlich, Bob Tarazi, and others on the causes of secondary hypertension. Dr. Gifford was involved in evaluating almost all of the antihypertensive drugs from the 1950s, including the peripheral and ganglion blocking agents, and did some of the early studies on diuretics. I have been fortunate to observe and interact with Dr. Gifford through many of these projects, at meetings and seminars, at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and at quiet dinners. He possesses the unique ability to clarify an issue in one or two sentences that oftentimes will have been debated for hours. When Dr. Gifford speaks, people listen. I am always pleased when Dr. Gifford agrees with me; I know I must be right. In the following interview, Dr. Gifford minimizes his contributions, which extend far beyond his involvement in the National High Blood Pressure Education Program and his work at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Gifford is retired from practice and the Clinic, but remains a strong voice in the world of hypertension as a frequent speaker at national and international meetings where he always presents an unbiased, scientifically accurate point of view.