Bulimia: a historical outline

The frequent occurrence of the eating disorder bulimia and major scientific contributions raise the question as to its origins, history, and course. Considerable information exists on bulimia. This paper reviews the historical references to the disorder from the first recorded report to the present (2,500 years ago to ca. 1970). The concept of bulimia has undergone various changes, beginning with a monosymptomatic, and leading to a polymorphous clinical picture. In addition, after being fused with the concept of kynorexia (incessant voracious eating followed by vomiting), the concept of bulimia has again attained a unified manifestation. Some symptoms appear to have taken on a different evaluation in time. All this must be seen in the context of the multiple changes which the concept of bulimia has undergone. Its characteristics justify neither a "new" disorder nor, as a consequence, an additional name.