La escrófula en el siglo XIX

Abstract

In the 19th century scrofula or scrofulous adenitis was a frequent condition estimated by the finding of swollen cervical lymph nodes or scars, occurring in both sexes at all epochs of life, mainly in children. It was thought that it principally affected people with an inherited phlegmatic constitution that involved a scrofulous disposition or "diathesis". The disease would be triggered by environmental agents, bad habits or excesses in style of life. Besides injuring cervical lymph nodes, in some cases scrofula could compromise other groups of lymph nodes, bones, joints, lungs or other viscera. In some of its clinical presentations the disease could be healed while others were often lethal disorders. The finding of multiorgan compromise, caseation and "tuberculization" of the lesions originated discussion whether scrofula and tuberculosis were one or two different diseases and if they affected subjects with a common diathesis or people with a distinct scrofulous or tuberculous diathesis. Along the 19th century, before the discovery of Koch's bacillus, the notion of contagion as a cause of scrofula and tuberculosis was not predominant in Europe.

De la escrófula a la linfoadenitis micobacteriana

“…En la centuria siguiente se notó a ojo desnudo el aspecto caseoso similar de ambas lesiones 46 . Esto después se corroboró en el examen microscópico con la descripción de necrosis y minúsculos granulomas epiteloideos denominados tubérculos 1 .…”

“…Predominaba la idea de que ambos cuadros clínicos estaban condicionados por una diátesis hereditaria sobre la cual actuarían agentes desencadenantes derivados del ambiente, costumbres o excesos 1 . No parecía tener muchos adherentes la posibilidad de un agente específico transmisible.…”

Suadimins A–C, Unprecedented Dimeric Quinoline Alkaloids with Antimycobacterial Activity from Melodinus suaveolens

“…In our search for structurally unique constituents and antibacterial agents against M. tuberculosis from Chinese medicinal plants, three dimeric monoterpenoid quinoline alkaloids, named suadimins A–C ( 1 – 3 ) (Figure ), were obtained from Melodinus suaveolens , a plant which has been applied in ethnomedicine to treat conditions such as scrofula that is known to be caused by M. tuberculosis . Previous studies on Melodinus species have led to the isolation of a variety of structurally distinct alkaloids that exhibited anticancer and antibacterial activities .…”

“…Biological evaluation of the isolates was inspired by the ethnomedical indication of this plant in Chinese folk medicine, where it is used for the treatment of scrofula, an infection caused by M. tuberculosis . The antimicrobial potency of 1 – 3 against M. tuberculosis was, thus, evaluated using the well-established microplate Alamar Blue assay (MABA) method, using general cytoxicity assays against VERO cells.…”