When was multiple sclerosis first identified?

Answer 1

Dr. Jean Martin Charcot (1825 - 1893) first scientifically described and documented the disease process of Multiple Sclerosis, but it was recognized as a disease from far earlier than that.

Timeline of Multiple Sclerosis

1400 - the earliest written record of someone with MS was Lydwina of Schieden, Dutch patron saint of ice skaters. 1838 - medical drawings clearly show what we today recognize as MS, but 19th century doctors did not understand what they saw and recorded. 1868 - Jean-Martin Charcot, professor of neurology at the University of Paris, wrote the first complete description of MS and the changes in the brain which accompany it. 1878 - Myelin was discovered 1919 - Abnormalities in the spinal fluid were discovered in MS, but their significance remained puzzling for decades. 1920 - Men were thought to be more susceptible to MS than women, because women were often mistakenly diagnosed with "hysteria". MS symptoms tend to flare each month for most female MS patients. 1925 - Lord Edgar Douglas Adrian recorded the first electrical nerve transmissions, which helped prove demyelinated nerves cannot sustain electrical impulses. 1928 - The oligodendrocyte cell that makes myelin was discovered. 1935 - Dr. Thomas Rivers demonstrated that nerve tissue, not viruses, produced a MS-like illness. This animal form of MS, called EAE or experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, paved the way to our present theories of auto- immunity, for it demonstrated the body can generate an immunologic attack against itself. 1938 - Dr. V.B. Dolgopol described a case of optic neuritis, caused by severe demyelination and attributed it to Devic's Syndrome. This syndrome was considered to be a subclass of Multiple Sclerosis during this time period.

1965 - White blood cells that react against a protein in nerve insulating myelin were discovered in MS. History of Medical Understanding of MS and Life Expectancies

1890's - caused by the suppression of sweat; treated with herbs & bed rest; life expectancy after diagnosis was 5 years. 1910's - caused by an unknown blood toxin; treated with purgatives & stimulants; life expectancy after diagnosis was 10 years. 1940's - caused by blood clots & poor circulation; treated with drugs that improve circulation; life expectancy after diagnosis was 18 years. 1960's - caused by allergic reaction; treated with vitamins & antihistamines; life expectancy after diagnosis was 25 years. 1996 - caused by autoimmune reaction possibly linked to virus; treated with steriods & immune system regulating drugs; life expectancy after diagnosis is essentially normal for most. (Information courtesy of Dee at the website called firelady40.)