Ancient cultures all over the world used the pulse as a diagnostic tool. And eventually, we figured out how to measure blood pressure, and hypertension came to be viewed as a disease.

Research:
Booth, Jeremy. “A Short History of Blood Pressure Measurement.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. Vol. 70. Nov. 1977. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003591577707001112
Elias, Merrill F. and Amanda L. Goodell. “Setting the record straight for two heroes in hypertension: John J. Hay and Paul Dudley White.” Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 9/21/2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8030549/#jch13650-bib-0004
Greene, Jeremy A. “Releasing the Flood Waters: Diruil and the Reshaping of Hypertension.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Vol. 79, No. 4, Winter 2005. https://doi.org/10.1353/bhm.2005.0153
Harold, John Gordon. “Harold on History | Historical Perspectives on Hypertension.” American College of Cardiology. 11/20/2017. https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2017/11/14/14/42/harold-on-history-historical-perspectives-on-hypertension
Hay, John. “The Significance of a Raised Blood Pressure.” British Medical Journal. 7/11/1931.
Johnson, Richard J. et al. “The discovery of hypertension: evolving views on the role of the kidneys, and current hot topics.” Renal Physiology. 1/2/2015. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00503.2014
Kotchen, Theodore A. “Historical Trends and Milestones in Hypertension Research: A Model of the Process of Translational Research.” Hypertension. Vol. 58, 2011.  https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.177766
Labos, Christopher. “The Current Hypertension Controversy: There is None..” McGill. 2/8/2018. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science/current-hypertension-controversy-there-none
Lüscher, Thomas F. “High blood pressure: new frontiers of an old risk factor.” European Heart Journal (2017) 38, 2791–2794. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx544
Moser, Marvin. “Historical Perspectives on the Management of Hypertension.” Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 5/22/2007. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-6175.2006.05836.x
Postel-Vinay, Nicolas, editor. “A Century of Arterial Hypertension 1896-1996.” Wiley. 1996.
Saklayen, Mohammad G. and Neeraj V. Deshpande. “Timeline of History of Hypertension Treatment.” Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2/23/2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4763852/

Ancient cultures all over the world used the pulse as a diagnostic tool. And eventually, we figured out how to measure blood pressure, and hypertension came to be viewed as a disease.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Booth, Jeremy. “A Short History of Blood Pressure Measurement.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. Vol. 70. Nov. 1977. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003591577707001112</li>
<li>Elias, Merrill F. and Amanda L. Goodell. “Setting the record straight for two heroes in hypertension: John J. Hay and Paul Dudley White.” Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 9/21/2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8030549/#jch13650-bib-0004</li>
<li>Greene, Jeremy A. “Releasing the Flood Waters: Diruil and the Reshaping of Hypertension.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Vol. 79, No. 4, Winter 2005. https://doi.org/10.1353/bhm.2005.0153</li>
<li>Harold, John Gordon. “Harold on History | Historical Perspectives on Hypertension.” American College of Cardiology. 11/20/2017. https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2017/11/14/14/42/harold-on-history-historical-perspectives-on-hypertension</li>
<li>Hay, John. “The Significance of a Raised Blood Pressure.” British Medical Journal. 7/11/1931.</li>
<li>Johnson, Richard J. et al. “The discovery of hypertension: evolving views on the role of the kidneys, and current hot topics.” Renal Physiology. 1/2/2015. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00503.2014</li>
<li>Kotchen, Theodore A. “Historical Trends and Milestones in Hypertension Research: A Model of the Process of Translational Research.” Hypertension. Vol. 58, 2011.  https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.177766</li>
<li>Labos, Christopher. “The Current Hypertension Controversy: There is None..” McGill. 2/8/2018. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science/current-hypertension-controversy-there-none</li>
<li>Lüscher, Thomas F. “High blood pressure: new frontiers of an old risk factor.” European Heart Journal (2017) 38, 2791–2794. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx544</li>
<li>Moser, Marvin. “Historical Perspectives on the Management of Hypertension.” Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 5/22/2007. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-6175.2006.05836.x</li>
<li>Postel-Vinay, Nicolas, editor. “A Century of Arterial Hypertension 1896-1996.” Wiley. 1996.</li>
<li>Saklayen, Mohammad G. and Neeraj V. Deshpande. “Timeline of History of Hypertension Treatment.” Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2/23/2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4763852/</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Ancient cultures all over the world used the pulse as a diagnostic tool. And eventually, we figured out how to measure blood pressure, and hypertension came to be viewed as a disease.

Hypertension: A History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/278649c6-e52d-4ae7-b0bd-aee200f92dfe/transcript

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

SYMHC Classics: Libertalia

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b92bbcbf-baf6-4279-95cd-b498004e3f55/transcript

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Pirate Evolution

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/754e85b9-5eee-4456-bdd4-b498004e38e5/transcript

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Research:
Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. “Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.” Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1661–1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5
Bowen, Keith. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley
Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck
Darwin, Charles. “On the Origin of Species.” JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm
Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley
Dolan, John R. “The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley’s Bathybius.” History of Oceanography.  International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/
“Freshwater Bathybius.” Nature 4, 49–50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0
“The Great Debate.” University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate
“The History of Evolutionary Thought.” Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/
Huxley, T.H. “Agnosticism.” K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up
Huxley, T.H. “Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by
Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html
Huxley, T.H. “Autobiography and Selected Essays.” Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007
Huxley, T.H. “Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm
Huxley, T.H. “Evidence as to man's place in nature.” D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up
Huxley, T.H. “On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.” Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science.  viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html
Huxley, T.H. “On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.” Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html
Joshi RS. “The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.” Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/
Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. “Zoological Philosophy.” Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy
Lyons, Sherrie L. “Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.” Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.
McGraw, Donald J. “Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.” Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257
“Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.” The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/
Pearce, JMS. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/
Schwartz, Joel S. “Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and ‘Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.’” Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120
“Thomas Henry Huxley.” Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley
“Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).” Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/
Tunstad, Erik. “Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.” Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar
Wyhe, John van. “It ain't necessarily so ...” The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths

 

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname &ldquo;Darwin&rsquo;s bulldog&rdquo; for his very vocal support of Darwin&rsquo;s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn&rsquo;t normally have access to those things.&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.&rdquo;&nbsp;Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)&nbsp;112, 1661&ndash;1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5</li>
<li>Bowen, Keith. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck</li>
<li>Darwin, Charles. &ldquo;On the Origin of Species.&rdquo; JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm</li>
<li>Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley</li>
<li>Dolan, John R. &ldquo;The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley&rsquo;s&nbsp;Bathybius.&rdquo; History of Oceanography. &nbsp;International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Freshwater Bathybius.&rdquo;&nbsp;Nature&nbsp;4, 49&ndash;50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Great Debate.&rdquo; University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate</li>
<li>&ldquo;The History of Evolutionary Thought.&rdquo; Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Agnosticism.&rdquo; K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Autobiography and Selected Essays.&rdquo; Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.&rdquo; https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Evidence as to man's place in nature.&rdquo; D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.&rdquo; Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.&rdquo; Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html</li>
<li>Joshi RS. &ldquo;The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.&rdquo; Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/</li>
<li>Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. &ldquo;Zoological Philosophy.&rdquo; Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy</li>
<li>Lyons, Sherrie L. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.&rdquo; Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.</li>
<li>McGraw, Donald J. &ldquo;Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.&rdquo;&nbsp;Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164&ndash;71.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257</li>
<li>&ldquo;Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.&rdquo; The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/</li>
<li>Pearce, JMS. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Schwartz, Joel S. &ldquo;Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and &lsquo;Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127&ndash;53.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).&rdquo; Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Tunstad, Erik. &ldquo;Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.&rdquo; Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar</li>
<li>Wyhe, John van. &ldquo;It ain't necessarily so ...&rdquo; The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Thomas Henry Huxley

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/260a3473-d806-4229-901f-b495016b50f8/transcript

Hypertension: A History

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