The Saint, the King's Grandson, the Poet, and the Victorian Writer: Instances of MS When the Disease Did Not Have a Name

ABSTRACT

Several historical figures experienced many of the manifestations of what we now call multiple sclerosis (MS). Descriptions of their symptoms and the medical treatments of the day are discussed. While modern clinicians may argue whether these people had MS, presumed MS, or another condition entirely, the case histories of Lidwina of Schiedam, Margaret Davis of Myddle, William Brown, Sir Augustus D'Esté, Heinrich Heine, Allan Stephenson, and Margaret Gatty provide an intriguing glimpse into the history of MS, medical treatment, and the social context of neurologic illness in previous centuries.