Amyloidosis and Amyloid-Related Diseases: Political Contexts of Early Discoveries

There were at least five prominent physicians that were considered to discover amyloid and amyloidosis in the 17th and 18th century. The physicians included Nicolaus Fontanus (Netherlands, 1639), Thomas Bartholin (Denmark, 1654), Théophile Bonet (Switzerland, 1679), Jeremiah Wainewright (England, 1722), and Antoine Portal (France, 1789). The physicians were in five different European Countries, some of whom made significant advancements in amyloidosis and amyloid-related diseases during periods of political turmoil. If the timing of their advancements had been several years earlier, there could have been different results or no results at all. Medical advances in amyloidosis and amyloid-related diseases during the 17th and 18th centuries were significantly influenced by the prevailing political climates.