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Once thought to have neurofibromatosis, Joseph Merrick (also known as "the elephant man") is now, in retrospect, thought by clinical experts to have had Proteus syndrome. This endocrine disease causes continued and abnormal growth of the bones, muscles, skin, and so on and can become completely debilitating with severe deformities occurring anywhere on the body.
In 1835 it was discovered that a disease of silkworms known as muscardine could be transferred from one silkworm to another, and was caused by a fungus.
The first documented use of surgical anesthesia in the United States was in Connecticut in 1844.
For high blood pressure (hypertension), a new class of drug, called a vasopeptidase blocker (inhibitor), has been developed. It decreases blood pressure by simultaneously dilating the peripheral arteries and increasing the body's loss of salt.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. As of yet, there is no cure. Everyone is at risk, and there may be no warning signs. It is six to eight times more common in African Americans than in whites. The best and most effective way to detect glaucoma is to receive a dilated eye examination.
![Illustration of an embolus floating in an artery. The embolus will become lodged in a blood vessel t](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_14755_10_09_12_7_23_54_85261086.jpeg)
![The greatest bone mass is found around age 30 for both men and women, with the later decline being f](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_102911_16_06_15_7_18_43_220291584.jpeg)