Arterial blood pressure of 374 men and 257 women, aged 60–89 years, found to be healthy and with ideal weight less than 25%, is assessed in terms of age and the occurrence of abnormalities on ophthalmoscopic examination and palpation of the radial artery at the wrist, and the presence or absence of pulsation in the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial arteries. By taking account of these abnormalities, as well as age, there is a significant improvement in the estimation of normal systolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is uninfluenced by age for either sex, and only in women are the vascular abnormalities related significantly to diastolic blood pressure. Further research based on the ‘elite’ in health is required.