From the desk of PWN cofounder Lewis S. Blevins Jr. M.D. – I’ve always been fascinated with the history of medicine. It’s one of the things that led me to this profession in the first place. I’ve always taken a keen interest in the history of the places where I’ve trained and practiced.
Occasionally, I stumble upon an article that is worthy of attention for its historical leanings. I’m surprised that I have not seen this one we are sharing until just a week ago. I view it as a seminal paper, a record of an address, that probably hasn’t been read by many modern day physicians. It is an excellent treatise on early accounts and thinking that relate the foundation of our understanding of hypercortisolism and Cushing syndrome today (listen to a podcast on the evolving story of hypercortisolism).
One critical and important thing to take away from this manuscript is that it illustrates the observations and search for explanations for findings noted that unravel the mysteries of disease in any given time or era. For example, this paper mentions the first real suspicion and proof of cortisol production by adrenal adenomas. Kudos to the astute clinicians who first reported the papers mentioned. That mystery has been solved, and we understand all matters of cortisol secretion from these lesions. We are now in an era where we are further characterizing patients with mild to moderate disturbances in cortisol secretion and recognizing they are far more common than previously suspected. Continued research beyond a nearly full understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical presentations, because people had the curiosity and sought answers, has led us to understand some of the genetic basis of cortisol-producing adrenal adenomas.
The importance of ongoing biomedical research in both the laboratory and clinical settings cannot be understated. VC Medevi was a Hungarian physician who had a keen interest in the history of medicine. He authored a textbook on the history of endocrinology that I have owned since my first year of Fellowship in 1990. I refer to it often. There’s not much about him on Wikipedia or anywhere else on-line but you can learn a lot about the man by reading his book and reviewing several of his papers. He lived from 1905 to 2000. Ninety-five years. Imagine having lived through those years and having paid careful attention to the evolution of medicine. I suspect that he would have been astounded at the developments in the quarter of a century since his death. But perhaps more astounded had he lived to be 120!
Click here to read the article
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Image by Christine Sponchia from Pixabay
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