**Pier Paolo Piccaluga, MD, PhD**

**1**

Section 1

Introduction

Professor, Institute of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Bologna University School of Medicine, Bologna, Italy

Section 1 Introduction

**3**

**Table 1.**

*Evolution in leukemia diagnosis.*

**Chapter 1**

Treatment

*Pier Paolo Piccaluga*

**1. The early history**

radiation, arsenic, and mesothorium (thorium-X).

1600 BC First written description of cancer in ancient Egypt 1670\* Examination of the blood with the compound microscope

1847 Term "leukemia" coined by *Rudolph Virchow*

1877 *Paul Ehrlich* introduced histochemical staining

1974 FAB classification of leukemias based on cytology

changes

1827 First clinical description of leukemia by *Alfred-Armand-Luois-Marie Velpeau*

1913 Distinction of acute and chronic, lymphoid and myeloid leukemias

2008 WHO classification of leukemia including molecular subtypes

1872 *Franz-Ern-Christian Neumann* suggested that leukemia is a disease of the bone marrow

1914 *Theodor Boveri* proposed that leukemia arises from a single cell through chromosomal

**Year Development**

Introductory Chapter: A Brief

The first case of leukemia had been probably described by Velpeau in 1827 [1]. Literally, he described his patient as '*A florist and seller of lemonade who had abandoned himself to the abuse of spirituous liquor and of women, without, however, becoming syphilitic*' [1, 2] that presented with abdomen distention, fatigue, fever, and side effects of urinary stones. At physical examination, severe hepatosplenomegaly was described, while the blood appeared "like gruel" [1, 2]. The patients actually died as soon as hospitalized [1, 2]. Despite probably depicting an acute leukemia (AL) case, a formal diagnosis was not made. Indeed, the first description of AL was dated in 1845, when two young pathologists, the German Rudolf Virchow and the British John Bennett, described it at the same time. Virchow suggested to name it "*leukämie*" (ie leukemia), a disease originating in the tissue producing blood cells; conversely, Bennett described it as "*leukocypenia*", being a type of pyemia, a suppuration of the blood [2]. The real nature of leukemia was then recognized in about 20 years, confirming Virchows theory (**Table 1**). Since then, attempts to cure it were made with scares success. At that time, the most widely used approach

History of Acute Leukemias
