[From the history of pancreatology and pancreatitis classification]

The retrogastric location, small size and soft consistency of the pancreas were the reason for the late discovery of the physiology of this organ. The first information about the anatomy and physiology of the pancreas appeared only in the 16th-17th centuries. The role of the pancreas in digestion was studied in the 18th-19th centuries, its participation in carbohydrate metabolism - in the 19th century, and insulin was discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Clinical signs of pancreatitis were first described in the early 19th century, but diagnosis of this disease still presents certain difficulties. The same can be said about the classification of pancreatitis. Due to the variety of etiological factors and clinical manifestations of acute and, especially, chronic pancreatitis, a single universal classification of pancreatitis has not yet been created, despite repeated attempts and existing classifications.