Scleroderma - History

History

Cases of skin disease similar to scleroderma may be found in the writings of Hippocrates as far back as 460–370 B.C. Oribasius (325–403 A.D.) and Paulus Aegineta (625–690 A.D.) also wrote on the subject. It is difficult to know if these were truly examples of scleroderma because the descriptions were inexact.

The first definite description of the disease, by Carlo Curzio in a monograph published in Naples in 1753, produced considerable interest in French and English medical circles.

The account concerns a young woman of 17 named Patrizia Galiera, who was admitted to the hospital and assigned to Dr. Curzio. Her symptoms as described by the doctor involved hardness of the skin (differing in degree from place to place), tightness around the mouth, and hardness around the neck. He noted loss of warmth in the skin, but no other problem in pulse, respiration, or digestion.

Much of the report contains details of the treatment, which included warm milk and vapor baths, bleeding from the foot, and small doses of quicksilver (mercury). After 11 months, the skin became soft and flexible, and all natural functions were restored.

Curzio's observations, published in French in 1755, aroused considerable interest. The early dermatological texts of R. William in London (1808) and his student, J. L. Alibert, in Paris (1818) referred to Curzio's observation.