Major contributions to medicine have been made by the use of the autopsy. Among these are the clarification of obscure features of the causes and pathogenesis of heart disease; the collection of abundant quantitative information from the examination of the heart and major arteries; the verification of cardiovascular diagnoses and the monitoring of new high-technology diagnostic imaging; the ensurance that the newer modes of therapy are safe and effective; the teaching and training of the physicians and surgeons of tomorrow; and the alerting of families to genetic risk, as the understanding of the genetic aspects of cardiovascular disease increases. In addition, a proposed international study will contribute to our understanding of the risk factors that influence the progression of atherosclerosis in young people.