On February 1, 1960, the Charleston Heart Study began under the direction of Dr. Edwin Boyle Jr. It marked the beginning of a forty-year survey of heart disease and atherosclerosis (a hardening of the arteries) among Charleston County, South Carolina residents that was known as the Charleston Heart Study (hereafter CHS).

Curious as to the reasons for the significant margin of heart disease-related deaths among Charlestonians in the late 1950s, Dr. Edwin Boyle Jr. initiated the Charleston Heart Study in cooperation with the Charleston County Medical Society, local and state health departments, the South Carolina Heart Association, and the U.S. Public Health Service.

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The

" explores the plan, results, and evolution of this monumental survey.

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(Image description:

for participant in the Charleston Heart Study.)