Historic milestones of Hirschsprung's disease (commemorating the 90th anniversary of Professor Harald Hirschsprung's death).

摘要

At least 2 noteworthy anniversaries associated with Hirschsprung's disease may be observed in 2006. Three hundred fifteen years ago, Frederick Ruysch offered what is probably the earliest verifiable description of the illness/One hundred ninety-five years later, Harald Hirsch-sprung (died April 11, 1916) submitted his historic introduction. Although we might rightly admire all those who contributed to a better understanding and treatment of this illness, we are nevertheless compelled to present a few historic notes regarding this still critical and exciting area of pediatric surgery.Hirschsprung's disease takes its name from a Danish pediatrician of German extraction, Dr Harald Hirschsprung (1830-1916), who, during a conference of the German Society of Pediatrics in Berlin in March 1886, presented 2 infants who died of complications of bowel obstruction. Autopsies revealed a marked dilatation and hypertrophy of large intestine, whereas the rectum seemed to be normal or normally narrow. Hirschsprung considered the condition an inborn disease and named it congenital megacolon.