[From theory to practice: on the history of cardiovascular epidemiology]

The road of research from analytical epidemiology which led to the description of coronary heart disease risk factors, to experimental epidemiology (intervention studies) which brought evidence for the effectiveness of prevention through risk factor reduction, is delineated in historical sequence. This knowledge serves as the basis for the two strategies of preventive cardiology: the individual (high risk) and the population strategy; the first is mainly in the domain of the practicing physician while the second requires his support within the framework of health planning in the community.