The first historical description of chronic subdural hematoma: A tale of inaccurate interpretation, inaccurate quoting and inaccurate requoting.

Abstract

Most historical articles have named Johann Jacob Wepfer as the first author to describe a case of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). However, the question arises whether these cases truly describe CSDH. Two other names that appear in literature as the first authors to describe a case of CSDH are Thomas Willis and Giovanni Battista Morgagni. In our attempt to find the first description of a CSDH, we studied the original cases described by Willis, Wepfer, and Morgagni. The cases described by Willis and Wepfer cannot be interpreted as cases of CSDH. Willis's university scholar is more likely to have experienced venous infarction with an underlying septic thrombosis than a CSDH. Wepfer's cases seem to represent an intraparenchymal hemorrhage from the rupture of a branch or branches of the internal carotid artery, a subarachnoid hemorrhage complicated with hydrocephalus, and a hydrocephalus in tuberculous meningitis. Morgagni's case described in Letter III, Article 20 in the Sedibus in 1761 seems to be the first accurate historical description of a CSDH, and we believe it should be cited as such. With these early cases of alleged CSDH, we emphasize the importance of misquotation and blind copying of references, which are important citation errors.