The history of myasthenia gravis

Abstract

The first case of myasthenia gravis (MG) was described in 1672. Treatment of MG was negligible until Mary Walker's seminal observation in 1934 of improvement with physostigmine and neostigmine injections. Blalock reported the initial success with thymectomy around 1940. Edrophonium was introduced around 1950 and pyridostigmine in the mid-1950s. John Simpson's hypothesis of an autoimmune etiology for MG in 1960 was later proven correct, and subsequent use of immunosuppressive therapy including corticosteroids led to the modern era in management of MG.