32 patients (13 women and 19 men) with slight to severe hypertension were treated during an open medium term study with acebutolol, a beta-antagonist which is cardioselective and at the same time has an intrinsic sympatheticomimetic effect. The average daily dose of the drug was 743 mg. In about 69% of the cases results were excellent or good, in 21% fair and in the remaining 9% no improvement was observed. Average cardiac frequency was 93 beats per minute before treatment started and about 90 days later this had fallen to 70.6 beats per minute. Almost no side effects were observed.