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"The disorder is
not a manifestation of mass hysteria. It is concluded that
the disease is recognizable in its epidemic form on clinical and
epidemiologic grounds and therefore may properly be considered a
clinical entity. The disease is probably due to infection by
an unknown agent or group of related agents."
-E.D. Acheson, D.M., M.R.C.P.-
Often called
"The Disease of a Thousand Names," the first ME definitions arose
from descriptions of many historic
epidemics, post-viral in
nature. Encephalitis Lethargica, Epidemic
neuromyasthenia, Tapanui flu, Iceland disease, Akureyri disease,
Atypical poliomyelitis, Atypical multiple sclerosis are just a few
of dozens of similarly described epidemics throughout history.
Dr. Byron Hyde notes 63 outbreaks from 1934 to 1990 in his book
The Clinical and Scientific Basis of M.E. /CFS, but
lists vary, with similar outbreaks described as early as
1917, and with Dr. Hyde himself naming his foundation after
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was stricken with an ME
like illness.
In 1956, Dr.
A. Melvin Ramsay formally coined the name myalgic
encephalomyelitis in a paper describing the 1955 epidemic at Royal
Free Hospital in London. In 1962 the distinguished
neurologist Lord Brain included ME in the standard textbook of
neurology. ME was then formally classified as a disease of the
central nervous system in the World Health Organization's 8th
version of the
International Classification of Diseases, ICD-8, in 1969.
The articles
below cover many of the historic ME outbreaks, while we've
summarized the ME/CFS definitions and descriptions from more
recent history (since the mid-1980s) in the pages on the link bar
to the right.
A New Clinical Entity?
(May 26, 1956 article in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Encapsulates descriptions of epidemics from 1917 through 1955.)
The Clinical Syndrome Variously Called Benign Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis, Icelandic Disease, and Epidemic
Neuromyasthenia.
(E.D. Acheson, D. M., M.R.C.P., The American Journal of Medicine,
April 1959. One of the first comprehensive definitions. [see
above quote])
Although
Dr.
John Richardson had published more contemporary articles on ME,
he had over 40 years experience of caring for ME patients and
studying ME history. So we have included some of his work
here...
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Guidelines for Doctors
Journal: J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 10(1) 2002, pp. 65-80
Author: John Richardson, MB BS
In this article, Dr. Richardson covers history, initiating
illness, prevalence and clinical diagnosis, all body systems
affected by ME/CFS and treatments.
Excerpt:
"HISTORY
For those of us who are involved in the care of patients with this
condition, the recorded work of Biorn Signurdsson (1913-1953) in
connection with the Akureyn outbreak in Iceland which affected
over 1000 patients, both children and adults was repeated by
Melvin Ramsay when he was involved in the outbreak in his hospital
which became known as the "Royal Free Disease" but defined by him
as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. This was followed by an excellent
monograph in 1969 by Luis Leon-Sotomayor published by Pageant
Press International Corp., New York and entitled, "Epidemic
Diencephalomyelits; A Possible Cause of Neuropsychiatric,
Cardiovascular and Endocrine Disorders." Since then many
colleagues from the U.K. and other countries have demonstrated the
pathological systemic consequences which may occur after a viral
illness and have long term effects. All this work has been pursued
by many colleagues in the U.K. and abroad since then, amongst whom
are 72 who contributed to the book of more recent origin and
published by the
Nightingale Research
Foundation entitled
The Clinical and Scientific Basis of M.E. /CFS."
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