A thorough understanding of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is necessary to offer individuals informed options for treatment and planning. To assist in this quest, the following historical analysis examined how MS has been conceived from the 14th century through the early 20th century. Primary sources were consulted whenever possible, and many of the original archival materials were accessed by the first author (MB) during an on-site visit to the Rare Book Room of the New York Academy of Medicine. There is a striking similarity between how MS symptoms have presented throughout history compared with the 21st century. Sensorimotor and cognitive sequelae have been observed in patients since the 1800s. Cognitive symptoms were acknowledged in the 1800s, but disregarded in the early 1900s and were not given recognition again until the latter part of the 20th century. If conceptualizations of MS are inaccurate, patients will not be served well. In contrast to the shared symptomatology across time, early conceptualizations of etiology and treatment choices differed dramatically from today, a genuine reflection of the times in which they were created.

中文翻译：

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寻找多发性硬化症的概念化：历史的观点。

对多发性硬化症（MS）的透彻了解对于为患者提供治疗和计划的知情选择至关重要。为了协助完成此任务，以下历史分析考察了从14世纪到20世纪初如何构想MS。在可能的情况下，都会征询主要资源的意见，第一作者（MB）在对纽约医学科学院的Rare Book Room进行现场访问时，获得了许多原始存档材料。与21世纪相比，整个历史上MS症状的表现方式有着惊人的相似之处。自1800年代以来，已在患者中观察到感觉运动和认知后遗症。1800年代就认识到认知症状，但在1900年代初期被无视，直到20世纪后期才再次获得认可。如果MS的概念设计不准确，患者将无法得到很好的服务。与跨时期的症状共享相反，病因和治疗选择的早期概念与今天截然不同，这是对它们创建时间的真实反映。