A blog reader (thank you!) reminded me of a historical overview of myeloma and myeloma treatment that I had read some time ago: http://tinyurl.com/2r7gw3 My post title refers in fact to the 19th century practice of treating myeloma with leeches (etc.). Eeek! Both my blog reader and I are glad that said practice is no longer, er, entertained.
Click on that link if you have ever wondered who (Henry) Bence Jones was, or if you want to know the name of the sadist who invented bone marrow biopsies. I was curious to know when the term “multiple myeloma” was actually introduced, but I had to look it up elsewhere. I found that a Russian doctor, J. von Rusitzky, apparently used it for the first time in 1873.
Oh heckaroni!, I just found out that I had already posted and commented on this link (March 12 2008: http://margaret.healthblogs.org/2008/03/12/the-history-of-multiple-myeloma/) Well, I am going to publish this post anyway, mainly because I am much amused, hehe. The joke’s on me! Plus, this is a good lesson: I should have done a “search” of my own blog first! (Yes, there is a “search” box on the right-hand side, just scroll down almost to the end.)
P.S. By the way, do you know how I discovered that I had already posted on this topic? Nope, I didn’t have a memory flashback. What I did was google these four words: “the history of myeloma.” And there it was, my 2008 post! Gave me a good chuckle…