Guillain, Barré and Strohl,1 in 1916, were the first to describe a rapidly progressive motor and sensory syndrome with associated "hyperalbuminosis" of the spinal fluid but without pleocytosis. Their observations were made on 2 soldiers, who subsequently made a rapid and uneventful recovery. This syndrome was designated as radiculoneuritis with hyperalbuminosis of the spinal fluid but without increase in cells, and has since often been referred to as the Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Strauss and Rabiner2 reported 7 cases of myeloradiculitis in Mount Sinai Hospital. In 4 there was no pleocytosis. Protein determinations were not reported. All the patients gave a history of infection of the upper respiratory tract which bore a chronologic relation to the onset of neurologic symptoms. There was no fatality among the cases.
In 1936, Guillain3 added 10 cases of this syndrome, distinguished by elevated values for spinal fluid "albuminoids." He did not report any