Sarcoidosis--the beginning: historical highlights of personalities and their accomplishments during the early years

Abstract

Sarcoidosis, an affliction of mankind named only as recently as this century, was first described by Hutchinson in 1878, and noted in a second patient, one Mrs. Mortimer, in 1898. In 1889, Besnier described lupus pernio.Boeck obtained skin biopsies in 1899. Kreibich described punched-out bone lesions in 1904. Darier and Roussy described subcutaneous nodules in 1906, and Heerfordt described uveoparotid fever in 1909. Schaumann synthesized the many diverse syndromes of sarcoidosis into a single disease in a prizewinning essay in 1914. Kveim biopsied the sarcoid skin test-site and established a diagnostic test in 1941.Lofgren described the bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy-erythema nodosum syndrome in 1946. In 1954, Israel and Sones helped establish sarcoidosis as an immunologic disorder. In 1963 Cummings compiled a bibliography on sarcoidosis, and in 1966 Siltzbach conducted his renowned international Kveim test trial.At Howard University, Harden ignited an interest in sarcoidosis. In 1944 Johnson and Jason contributed to a description of cardiac involvement, while Cowan studied ocular involvement in sarcoidosis.