The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is seldom made without certain generally recognized difficulties. Yet the obstacles encountered in attempting to arrive at a definite knowledge of the etiologic factors concerned are considerably greater. Few reports have been made of observations on clinical aspects of the disease other than those of a strictly neurologic nature. Certain other details of clinical expression may possibly aid in rendering a diagnosis less difficult and in determining a course that might lead to a solution of the problem of etiology.
This study was undertaken in order to determine whether the review of a fairly large series of cases might not reveal one or two clinical facts the incidence of which might render them of value. Accordingly, all the clinical records at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital of cases that were classed as multiple sclerosis were reviewed. It might be well to point out here that