MS was first described in detail in 1868, and since then many opinions as to possible causes have been offered. One of the most popular in recent years is that MS is an autoimmune disease; that is, one in which the body produces antibodies that attack its own substances.
However, there are authorities who believe MS is linked with a virus. For example, writing in Scientific American of July 1970, British epidemiologist Dr. Geoffrey Dean reports that variations in its incidence around the world suggest that it results from infection by a virus of the little-understood "slow" or latent kind. Normally, he believes, MS is "a virus infection of childhood" like polio. The earlier a child is exposed to the polio virus, the less likely he is to develop the crippling variety. But in those parts of the world with a high hygienic standard, a child may miss an early infection; then if it occurs for the first time in early adult life, it is with more serious consequences. The virus theory, like others, has not been proved.
However, there are authorities who believe MS is linked with a virus. For example, writing in Scientific American of July 1970, British epidemiologist Dr. Geoffrey Dean reports that variations in its incidence around the world suggest that it results from infection by a virus of the little-understood "slow" or latent kind. Normally, he believes, MS is "a virus infection of childhood" like polio. The earlier a child is exposed to the polio virus, the less likely he is to develop the crippling variety. But in those parts of the world with a high hygienic standard, a child may miss an early infection; then if it occurs for the first time in early adult life, it is with more serious consequences. The virus theory, like others, has not been proved.
