Rheumatoid Arthritis History

The first known traces of arthritis date back at least as far as 4500 BC. A text dated 123 AD first describes symptoms very similar to rheumatoid arthritis. It was noted in skeletal remains of Native Americans found in Tennessee. In the Old World the disease is vanishingly rare before the 1600s. and on this basis investigators believe it spread across the Atlantic during the Age of Exploration. In 1859 the disease acquired its current name.

An anomaly has been noticed from investigation of Precolumbian bones. The bones from the Tennessee site show no signs of tuberculosis even though it was prevalent at the time throughout the Americas. Jim Mobley, at Pfizer, has discovered a historical pattern of epidemics of tuberculosis followed by a surge in the number of rheumatoid arthritis cases a few generations later. Mobley attributes the spikes in arthritis to selective pressure caused by tuberculosis. A hypervigilant immune system is protective against tuberculosis at the cost of an increased risk of autoimmune disease.

The art of Peter Paul Rubens may possibly depict the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. In his later paintings, his rendered hands show, in the opinion of some physicians, increasing deformity consistent with the symptoms of the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis appears to some to have been depicted in 16th century paintings. However, it is generally recognised in art historical circles that the painting of hands in the sixteenth and seventeenth century followed certain stylised conventions, most clearly seen in the Mannerist movement. It was conventional, for instance to show the upheld right hand of Christ in what now appears a deformed posture. These conventions are easily misinterpreted as portrayals of disease. They are much too widespread for this to be plausible.

The first recognized description of rheumatoid arthritis was in 1800 by the French physician Dr Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais (1772-1840) who was based in the famed Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. The name "rheumatoid arthritis" itself was coined in 1859 by British rheumatologist Dr Alfred Baring Garrod.

Notable cases

Dorothy Hodgkin, Nobel prize winning scientist, developed severe deforming rheumatoid arthritis at age 28. In spite of this she continued her career and developed X-ray crystallography, underpinning a lot of information about rheumatoid arthritis, discovered the structure of insulin and enabled discovery of the genetic code.
Auguste Renoir, impressionist painter, whose later 'softer' style might have reflected in some way his severe disability.
Christiaan Barnard, the first surgeon to perform a human-to-human heart transplant had to retire owing to the condition. He also wrote a book on living with arthritis.
James Coburn claimed to have healed the condition using pills containing a sulfur-containing compound on his return to acting.
Erik Lindbergh, aviator and member of the X-Prize administration. Erik has been a spokesman for the arthritis drug Enbrel, as a result of his success with the treatment.
Bob Mortimer British comedian and actor.
Kathleen Turner and Aida Turturro have worked to raise public awareness of the condition
Billy Bowden, international cricket umpire who had to retire from active playing due to RA
Melvin Franklin, bass singer of the Temptations. He treated RA with cortisone shots so he could perform.
Christopher Lee, British actor, who has to use special, ergonomically designed props when he works on set
Jamie Farr, American actor, famous for his role as Max Klinger on the 1970s television series M*A*S*H.
Gabi Rojas, An American dancer, She appeared on So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 making the top 54 in Vegas.
Sandy Koufax, An American Hall-of-Fame baseball pitcher who played from 1955 to 1966 for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rheumatoid Arthritis History

Notable cases

Further Reading

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