Myasthenia GravisIt is believed that Myasthenia gravis was discovered as early as 1672 when Thomas Willis, wrote in his book De Anima Brutorum, that "a woman who temporarily lost the faculty of speaking and became 'mute as a fish.'".(Abboud, 1996). Another early description of this disease is documented in colonial correspondence with England. "The excessive fatigues he encountered ruined his constitution; his flesh became macerated; his sinews lost the tone of a warrior chief. He had an elasticity and his eyelids were too heavy that he could not see unless they were raised by his attendants.Moreover, we are told that he was unable to walk; ." During his imprisonment in Jamestown he was able to rest. After this inactivity he was able to lift himself off the ground to a standing position. Perhaps this warrior had developed MG in his final years (Abboud, 1996). Both of these early descriptions describe a lack of voluntary muscles that results in great fatigue and weakness. These are definitely signs of myasthenia gravis. So already in the late 1600s people started to see some effects of myasthenia gravis and actually started to learn something about it. DescriptionMyasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease in which muscles tire rapidly with repetitive use. “Myasthenia gravis is characterized by a decremental neuronal response with repetitive nerve stimulation and manifests in some characteristic physical ways.” (Addoub, 1996). A person with Myasthenia Gravis has a flattened smile, droopy eyes, and slow responses to light from the pupil. The person could... middle of paper... the thymus could eliminate a source of continuous antigenic stimulation. If the myoid cells of the thymus are the source of the autoantigen, their removal could allow the immune response to attenuate. Second, thymectomy can remove a reservoir of B cells that secrete antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor. Third, thymectomy may go some way to correcting a disorder of immune regulation in myasthenia gravis" (Howard). Bibliography: Works Cited1. Accordant Health Services, 1998 http://www.accordant.com/mg.html2 Abboud, Lena 1996 http:// www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Gravis/real_mg_directory.html#menu3. Compton Interactive Cyclopedia (c) 1994, 1995 Compton NewMedia,4 Gravis -Department of Neurology, University of Carolina of the North in Chapel Hill