This article explores the history of lupus erythematosus from the origins of the name to the most modern therapeutic advances. The review includes information about the origin of the name "lupus," the first clear description of the skin lesions, the discovery of the systemic and discoid forms, and further advances which define our current view of this illness. The classical descriptions of Hippocrates, Paracelsus, Manardi, Rudolph Virchow, Cazenave, Robert Willan, and Moritz Kaposi are chronologically described. Later, the contributions of Sir William Osler, Jonathan Hutchinson, Sequira and Balean, Kraus and Bohac, Libman and Sacks, Malcolm Hargraves, and Edmund L. Dubois are highlighted. The major breakthroughs of the modern period, including the diagnostic tests, animal models, and genetics, are briefly described. The article ends with the history of drug-induced lupus, diagnostic criteria, and the history of the therapy of lupus erythematosus. With modern therapeutic advances, the mortality rate from lupus erythematosus has decreased substantially. It is hoped that current research will further improve the prognosis of this disease in the near future.

No abstract

No abstract

Background:Death certificates are an invaluable source of statistical and medical information, as well as important legal documents. However, few physicians receive formal training on how to accurately complete them.Purpose:To determine if a simple intervention can improve the accuracy of death certificate completion by medical students.Methods:Participants included all third year medical students undergoing their core Internal Medicine rotation at Mercer University School of Medicine at the Medical Center of Central Georgia. Participation was voluntary and participants completed an approved informed consent.Students were presented a tutorial from the National Association of Medical Examiners website. They were asked to complete a death certificate both before and after the tutorial along with subjective questionnaires. The primary outcome measurement was the difference in scores pre- and post-tutorial.Results:The mean score before the tutorial was 11.75 (±3.20) and the mean score post-tutorial was 18.85 (±2.56), indicating an increase in scores. The mean difference in pre- and post-tutorial scores was significant (t = 20.39, p < 0.0001).Conclusions:We found that using a tutorial to teach students how to correctly complete a death certificate was effective.

No abstract