Did Bechterew Describe the Disease which is Named After Him?: A question raised due to the centennial of his primary report

Abstract

From paleopathological studies of egyptian mummies it is known that pelvospondylitis existed in ancient times. In spite of that a disease entity has not been clearly defined until recent years. The discovery of the rheumatoid factor, 1940 by Waaler and 1948 by Rose, allowed differentiation from RA. The first criteria for pelvospondylitis were proposed at a symposium in Rome 1961. Another important step in the history of pelvospondylitis occurred in 1973 when the connection to the HLA-B27 was discovered.

Initial clinical descriptions appeared in the last decade of the 18th century. One of the contributors was the Russian Wladimir Bechterew (Fig. 1) whose name thereafter has been linked to the disease. Since it is the centennial of Bechterew's original report it seems appropriate to review that publication.

Key Words:

• Bechterew
• pelvospondylitis
• paleopathology