Rheumatism

Ancient Egyptians and Romans used ground willow bark to treat rheumatic diseases. The bark contains salicin. Hipocrates recommends absinthe for the treatment of rheumatism. He also believed that all diseases depends on disorders of flowing of 4 main human fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. According to this theory rheumatic diseases depends on the excess of phlegm. The term “rheumatism” was used for the first time by Guliaume de Baillou (1536-1616) in his Libre de rheumatismo et plenritide. The definition was based on ancient theory of the fluid’s flowing (greek: rheuma – flowing). All rheumatic diseases were considering as one disease entity. Up to day many people believed that rheumatism is the name of single disease Better understanding and better differentiation of rheumatic diseases were possible owing two English physicians: William Heberden and Alfred Barring Garrod. Chemical synthesis of aspirin in 1899 by Felix Hoffmann can be considered as the beginning of the pharmacotherapy of rheumatism as well as the beginning of pharmaceutical industry et al. Paramount development of therapy is connected with the discovery of the activity and properties of cortisone and relative compounds (Kendall, Reichstein and Hench – Nobel 1950). Still improved surgical methods, modern rehabilitation, new non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs and methotrexate contribute to better treatment of rheumatic diseases. Promising effects are noted after treatment by biological methods of treatment.