English physician William Heberden made several amazing medical observations in the 18th century. One of the more famous papers he wrote included a description of angina pectoris, when a spasm of the heart's coronary artery results in severe chest pain. Angina pectoris is also sometimes called "Heberden's asthma" because the spasm, which is caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart muscle, causes feelings of suffocation. Heberden presented a paper about angina to the Royal College of Physicians on July 21,1768. The paper, entitled "Pectus Dolor or Angina Pectoris," was published in 1772. Heberden often wrote his papers in Latin, long after scholars abandoned this Romance language.

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