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The original illustrations of Hodgkin's disease
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Insights
This study traces the early history of Hodgkin's disease using original illustrations. It reveals that early descriptions met modern criteria but also included non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- Hematopathology
- Oncology
Background:
- Hodgkin's disease was first described in the 19th century.
- Early descriptions relied heavily on clinical observations and illustrations.
- Histological definitions evolved over time with contributions from various researchers.
Observation:
- The report analyzes illustrations from Thomas Hodgkin's original papers, including those by Robert Carswell.
- Early clinical presentations of the disease are examined.
- Histological drawings from Greenfield, Sternberg, Reed, and Andrews illustrate the evolving definition and characteristic cell.
Findings:
- Thomas Hodgkin's original cases align with current diagnostic criteria for Hodgkin's disease.
- Illustrations confirm the histological definition, including the characteristic cell.
- At least one case described by Hodgkin appears to be non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, challenging historical classification.
Implications:
- Revisiting early descriptions provides valuable insights into the historical progression of understanding Hodgkin's disease.
- The findings highlight the importance of historical case reviews for refining current classifications.
- Understanding the inclusion of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in early reports may necessitate re-evaluation of historical terminology.
Abstract:
In this report, the illustrations from the original papers on Hodgkin's disease are used to trace its early history. Thomas Hodgkin's report included six cases of his own and a seventh given to him by Robert Carswell, whose beautiful colored pictures of the latter case accompanied Hodgkin's presentation. Early clinical pictures are also presented. The histologic definition of the disease, with its characteristic cell, is traced with drawings from the reports of Greenfield, Sternberg, Reed, and Andrews. Modern histologic and immunocytochemical confirmation (Leu-M1 reactivity) of some of Hodgkin's original cases, preserved at Guy's Hospital, London, UK, are also illustrated. It is concluded that not only did Hodgkin describe cases of Hodgkin's disease that meet present-day criteria, he also included at least one case of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a term that now might be considered a misnomer.
