Myasthenia gravisMyasthenia gravis would have been discovered as early as 1672 when Thomas Willis, wrote in his book De Anima Brutorum, that "a woman who temporarily lost the power of speech and became "mute" a fish.'". (Abboud, 1996). Another ancient description of this disease is documented in colonial correspondence with England. "The excessive fatigue he encountered destroyed his constitution; his flesh became macerated; his tendons lost their warrior leader tone. He had elasticity and his eyelids were too heavy that he could only see them if they were lifted by his servants. Furthermore, we are told that he was unable to walk; but his spirit, rising above the ruins of his body, directed them from the litter on which he was carried by his Indians, the attack and retreat of his warriors. During his captivity in Jamestown, he was able to rest. After this inactivity, he was able to raise himself from the ground to a standing position. Perhaps this warrior, in his later years, had developed MG (Abboud, 1996). These first two descriptions describe a lack of voluntary muscles resulting in great fatigue and weakness. These are definitely signs of myasthenia gravis. So, as early as the late 1600s, people were starting to see some of the effects of myasthenia gravis and were starting to learn a little more about it. DescriptionMyasthenia gravis (MG) is a condition in which muscles fatigue quickly due to repetitive use. “Myasthenia gravis is characterized by a decremental neuronal response with repetitive nerve stimulation and manifests in several characteristic physical ways.” (Addoub, 1996). A person with myasthenia gravis has a flattened smile, droopy eyes, and slow responses to light from the pupils. The person may be in the middle of a sheet of paper. The thymus can eliminate a source of ongoing antigenic stimulation. If myoid thymic cells are the source of the self-antigen, their elimination could allow the immune response to attenuate. Second, thymectomy can eliminate a reservoir of B cells that secrete antibodies against acetylcholine receptors. Third, thymectomy may somehow correct a disruption of immune regulation in myasthenia gravis” (Howard). www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Gravis/real_mg_directory.html#menu3. Compton Interactive Encyclopedia Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia,4. Gravis -Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill