Ejner Sylvest
Ejner Oluf Sørensen Sylvest (1880 – 1972) was a Danish general practitioner.
Described a myositis epidemic likely secondary to Coxsackie B virus in 23 fisherman in Melsted and Gudhjem whilst taking a summer vacation on Bornholm Island, Denamrk
Despite myriad Norweigan, Icelandic and American literature as well as locally recorded eponymous affiliations (even in Denmark…) the name attributed by Sylvest in his 1933 thesis dissertation has stuck and ‘Pleurodynia epidemica’ is recognized as Bornholm disease.
Biography
- Born November 11, 1880 in Hillerød, Denmark
- 1907 – graduated MD. Københavns Universitet
- 1911-1913 Surgeon in the army
- 1926 – General practitioner
- 1930 – Monograph on epidemic pleurodynia in 23 fishermen on Bornholm island
- 1933 – Thesis publication applying the Danish denomination as ‘The Bornholm disease’
- 1939 – President, Det Medicinske Selskab i København [The Medical Society of Copenhagen]
- 1941 – Co-editor of ‘Huslægen om Sundhed og Sygdom I–III‘.
- Died June 28, 1972
Medical Eponyms
Bornholm disease (1930)
Acute, transient viral myositis associated with Coxsackie B. Viral myositis involving the intercostal and abdominal muscles characterized by fever and sharp, spasmodic pain in the chest wall or abdomen.
Controversies
Many prior description of Epidemic pleurodynia/Myositis epidemica…but as with many eponyms, the original descriptions were published in local language journals which never made it mainstream until the eponymous affiliate popularized the disease/syndrome.
1930 – Sylvest, whilst holidaying on Bornholm Island, Denmark witnessed and described the disease in 23 fisherman in Melsted and Gudhjem. As far as he was aware, the disease had been described in Norway by Daae…had no Danish name. He therefore proposed the Danish denomination as ‘The Bornholm disease‘.
Major Publications
- Sylvest E. En Bornholmsk Epidemi. Myositis epidemica [A Bornholm epidemic. myositis epidemica], Ugeskr. Lag., 1930, 92, 798-801.
- Sylvest E. Den Bornholmske Syge. Myalgia epidemica. [Bornholm disease-Myalgia epidemica], Doctoral thesis, Copenhagen, 1933.
- Sylvest E. Epidemic myalgia. Bulletin mensuel de l’Office international d’hygiene publique. 1932;24:1431.
- Sylvest E. Epidemic Myalgia: Bornholm Disease. JAMA. 1934;103(21):1650.
- Sylvest E. Epidemic Myalgia, Bornholm Disease. Translated by H. Andersen. London: Oxford University Press. 1934
Danish biographical research and portrait: Ejner Sylvest. Flemming and Agnes Voss – Hørsholm, Denmark (Personal communication)
References
Biography
- Snorrason ESH. Ejner Sylvest. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon on lex.dk.
Eponymous term
- Genner J. The Medical Society of Copenhagen 1772-1972. Acta Hist Sci Nat Med. 1972;27:1-345.
- Pickles WN. Bornholm Disease. The Practitioner 1955; 174: 85-86
- Jamieson WM, Prinsley DM. Bornholm Disease in the Tropics. Br Med J. 1947 Jul 12; 2(4514): 47–50
- Ord AFT. Bornholm Disease. Br Med J. 1948 Nov 20; 2(4585): 916.
- Findlay GM, Howard EM. Coxsackie Viruses and Bornholm Disease. Br Med J. 1950 May 27; 1(4664): 1233–1236.
eponym
the person behind the name
