Year 1932: The first detailed description of regional enteritis

In 1932, ulcerative colitis was already a recognized disease, and some cases had been published that, most likely, corresponded to Crohn's disease. However, intestinal tuberculosis was much more common, and the case series that was collected by Albert Berg in Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, was systematised in a publication by Burrill Crohn, which clearly distinguished regional enteritis from intestinal tuberculosis and already highlighted its primary clinical, radiological, and histological characteristics. We could discuss the opportuneness of the eponym, given that the contributions of Berg, Ginzburg and Oppenheimer were, surely, more important than Crohn as well as the convenience of assigning more generic names to diseases. This would be a waste of our time. As it stands, Crohn was the first author, and has lent his name to the disease. This is the first example of the need for interdisciplinary collaboration: only the conjunction of a pathologist, a surgeon, and an internist led to recognition that the disease was something different. Why is it recommended to read the original article? It is enjoyable, and very much so. The more familiar you are with Crohn's disease, the more you will enjoy this read.