The First Report of Epidemic Pertussis by Bahaodowle Razi From the 15th Century Anno Domini

摘要

Background:Pertussis or “whooping cough” is an acute, communicable infection of the respiratory tract caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It has been recorded in history of medicine that the first pertussis epidemic was reported in 1578 by a French scientist, Guillaume de Baillou, in Paris. Furthermore, the causative agent was first isolated in 1906 by Jules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet and his brother-in-law Octave Gengou. However, it seems that earlier reports can be found in history of medicine.