The authors summarize their 15 articles in this series on predictive medicine. Present health evaluation programs are disease‐oriented rather than health‐oriented. Health statistics usually are reported in terms of mortality and morbidity rates. Little space is given to nonspecific ailments which may be the forerunners of chronic disease. The purpose of a predictive medicine program is to anticipate and prevent disease rather than merely to identify and treat it. Conventional medicine is not coping with the problems. The interesting results, as well as the limitations of this series of studies, are discussed. The strategy is justified, but the tactics need further investigation.

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Much has been written about the nature and causes of the aging process. For purposes of a predictive medicine program the following points serve as a reasonable base: 1) old people report more symptoms and signs, 2) the old die more readily than the young, and 3) old people with many symptoms and signs die more readily than old people with few such manifestations. Thus it is highly desirable to use all the techniques possible to reduce the number of clinical findings to a minimum. A predictive medicine program can anticipate classical disease. One example is given to show that the supposed inevitable increase of cardiovascular symptoms and signs with age can be thwarted by dietary means (vitamin E). Another example is given to indicate that, partly by exercise or diet, people may be made younger at heart.