Multiple Sclerosis Inside A Ms Brain Shirt

In describing the history of multiple sclerosis Murray also provides a history of neurology and the associated philosophy of science. Possibly the earliest documentation of multiple sclerosis is the case of Lidwina the Virgin, who lived in Schiedam, Holland. In 1395, age 16 years, Lidwina developed an acute illness and subsequently fell while skating on a frozen canal. Later symptoms included blindness in one eye, weakness and pain. She died in 1433. After canonization she became the patron saint of both figure skating and sickness. While some commentators have considered there to be sufficient evidence for a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, Murray in his gentle way points to elements of marked religiosity, mysticism, histrionic behaviour, and even self-mutilation.

Multiple Sclerosis Inside A Ms Brain Shirt

The features of multiple sclerosis were first well defined by Jean-Martin Charcot, neurologist at the Hôpital de Salpétrière in 1868, as ‘la sclérose en plaques’. In particular he made the distinction between the tremor of paralysis agitans (later called Parkinson’s disease) and that of multiple sclerosis. The three most reliable indicators of multiple sclerosis—intention tremor, nystagmus, and scanning speech—became known as Charcot’s triad.Dr Murray educates the reader painlessly on the aetiology and pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis while presenting the history of the disease. Thus we proceed through clinical description and classification, neuropathology, neurophysiology, immunology, and imaging, with a hint of genetics. The continuing critical theme is neuropathology. From the clinician’s point of view the development of magnetic resonance imaging has been key to allowing more precise diagnosis as well as surrogate markers for clinical trials.