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AJ LTHOUGH the peripheral arterial circulation in hypertension has been well studied in the past, 1-4 to our knowledge the technic of rheoplethysmography5 6 has never been utilized for this purpose. Since this method offers a more accurate and detailed appraisal of the digital circulation than heretofore available, it seemed worth while to utilize it in a reinvestigation of the digital hemodynamics in hypertension. Materials and MethodsFourteen normotensive (ages 21 to 60 years) and 17 hypertensive subjects (ages 29 to 75 years) were studied in the fasting state, while reclining at a 30-degree angle in a comfortable hospital bed under controlled environmental conditions (room temperature 22 to 24 C. and relative humidity 45 to 55 per cent). Each subject was allowed to acclimate to the environment for 1/2 hour prior to the actual procedure. Each experiment was conducted with use of the right index finger supported at heart level by means of an adjustable arm rest.The normotensive subjects were free from intercurrent cardiovascular disease. The hypertensive subjects were of varying severity and were diagnosed as either essential or secondary to a renal lesion. No patient was in heart failure at the time of study. The technic was as described by Burch5' 6 except for one alteration. The pressure in the occluding cuff was triggered at a preset time following the R wave of a simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram so that the cuff was inflated exactly at the