Re: History of Fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

Here is a little bit of the history of fibromyalgia that I have

discovered while researching on the web:

SINCE the early 1800's, physicians have written about a condition

involving fatigue, stiffness, aches, pains, and disturbed sleep,

which lacked diagnostic explanation, calling it muscular rheumatism.

In 1824, a physician in Edinburgh described tender points.

A psychiatrist in the United States wrote in 1880 about a collection

of symptoms consisting of fatigue, widespread pain, and psychological

disturbances. He called it neurasthenia and attributed it to the

stress of modern life.

A well-known person who reported fibromyalgia-like symptoms was

Florence Nightingale, an English army nurse during the Crimean War

(1854-1856) who was a pioneer in the International Red Cross

Movement. Nightingale became ill while working on the front lines and

never really recovered. She was virtually bedridden much of the rest

of her life with pain and fatigue resembling fibromyalgia until her

death in 1910.

letters of Bernard Noble (1833-1896) described what many patients

quote today. " Is it possible that I am more seriously ill than my

doctors think. The pain will not go away I have been a frozen wretch

my whole life, hardly able to stand a whiff of wind or pain. My

rheumatic pains leave me no rest. I suffer from stomachaches. My

headaches are so terrible that life seems filled with bile paralyzing

fatigue . "

In 1904, Sir Gowers introduced the term " fibrositis " ( " fibro–

" means to fiber; " –itis " means inflammation) into the medical

lexicon to denote the sore points found in patients with muscular

rheumatism. When no evidence of inflammation could be found,

physicians realized the term " fibrositis " was incorrect.

In 1913 in the British Medical Journal, a physician by the name of

Luff talked about the factors of fibrositis. He noted that the

symptoms grew worse when the barometric pressure lowered and rain was

approaching.

In 1976, " fibromyalgia " ( " my– " means muscle; " –algia " means pain)

was introduced to replace the misnomer " fibrositis " coined by Gowers.

Terminology: This mysterious illness has been studied since the

1800's and has been identified by a variety of names, including

hysterical paroxysm, muscular rheumatism and fibrositis. The term

fibromyalgia was first coined in 1976 in an effort to describe its

primary symptom. (Fibro – meaning fibrous tissue, my – meaning

muscle, and algia – meaning pain)

It wasn't until 1990, when the American College of Rheumatology

developed a diagnostic criteria for doing fibromyalgia research, that

the term fibromyalgia gained wide usage.

lisa n.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing this. It is very interesting. Didn't realize fibro

was around so long either. Glad too that you can do more research now.

Debbie J

>

> Here is a little bit of the history of fibromyalgia that I have

> discovered while researching on the web:

>

> SINCE the early 1800's, physicians have written about a condition

> involving fatigue, stiffness, aches, pains, and disturbed sleep,

> which lacked diagnostic explanation, calling it muscular

rheumatism.

> In 1824, a physician in Edinburgh described tender points.

>

> A psychiatrist in the United States wrote in 1880 about a

collection

> of symptoms consisting of fatigue, widespread pain, and

psychological

> disturbances. He called it neurasthenia and attributed it to the

> stress of modern life.

>

> A well-known person who reported fibromyalgia-like symptoms was

> Florence Nightingale, an English army nurse during the Crimean War

> (1854-1856) who was a pioneer in the International Red Cross

> Movement. Nightingale became ill while working on the front lines

and

> never really recovered. She was virtually bedridden much of the

rest

> of her life with pain and fatigue resembling fibromyalgia until her

> death in 1910.

>

> letters of Bernard Noble (1833-1896) described what many patients

> quote today. " Is it possible that I am more seriously ill than my

> doctors think. The pain will not go away…I have been a frozen

wretch

> my whole life, hardly able to stand a whiff of wind or pain. My

> rheumatic pains leave me no rest. I suffer from stomachaches. My

> headaches are so terrible that life seems filled with bile…

paralyzing

> fatigue…. "

>

>

> In 1904, Sir Gowers introduced the term " fibrositis "

( " fibro–

> " means to fiber; " –itis " means inflammation) into the medical

> lexicon to denote the sore points found in patients with muscular

> rheumatism. When no evidence of inflammation could be found,

> physicians realized the term " fibrositis " was incorrect.

>

> In 1913 in the British Medical Journal, a physician by the name of

> Luff talked about the factors of fibrositis. He noted that the

> symptoms grew worse when the barometric pressure lowered and rain

was

> approaching.

>

> In 1976, " fibromyalgia " ( " my– " means muscle; " –algia " means pain)

> was introduced to replace the misnomer " fibrositis " coined by

Gowers.

>

> Terminology: This mysterious illness has been studied since the

> 1800's and has been identified by a variety of names, including

> hysterical paroxysm, muscular rheumatism and fibrositis. The term

> fibromyalgia was first coined in 1976 in an effort to describe its

> primary symptom. (Fibro – meaning fibrous tissue, my – meaning

> muscle, and algia – meaning pain)

>

> It wasn't until 1990, when the American College of Rheumatology

> developed a diagnostic criteria for doing fibromyalgia research,

that

> the term fibromyalgia gained wide usage.

>

> lisa n.

>