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World J Clin Pediatr. Nov 8, 2015; 4(4): 120-125
Published online Nov 8, 2015. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v4.i4.120
Hirschsprung’s disease: Historical notes and pathological diagnosis on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Dr. Harald Hirschsprung’s death
Consolato Sergi
Consolato Sergi, Department of Pediatrics, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
Consolato Sergi, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
Author contributions: Sergi C designed research, performed literature research, contributed to the analytic tools, analyzed data, and wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Sergi C is a “ad hoc” consultant of the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) sitting in the panel as collaborator for the use of pesticides and cancer (IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of five organophosphate insecticides and herbicides) and Carcinogenicity of perfluorooctanoic acid, tetrafluoroethylene, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, and 1,3-propane sultone. Moreover, Dr. Sergi C. has received research funding from the Women and Children Research Institute, Saudi Cultural Bureau, and the Canada Foundation for Women’s Health (CFWH) (Award 2009: CFWH General Research Grant Dr. L. Hornberger and Dr. C. Sergi), and has received fees for serving as grant reviewer for the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and as consultant for Guidepoint.
Correspondence to: Consolato Sergi, MD, MSc, FRCPC, PhD, Professor, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, 8440 112 St, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada. sergi@ualberta.ca
Telephone: +1-780-4077951 Fax: +1-780-4073009
Received: May 7, 2015
Peer-review started: May 8, 2015
First decision: June 9, 2015
Revised: August 21, 2015
Accepted: September 10, 2015
Article in press: September 16, 2015
Published online: November 8, 2015
Processing time: 187 Days and 20.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Medical history is fascinating and, since its beginning, it was meant to enlighten scientific issues, booster the medical profession, and celebrate the traditions or tales of particular places. Harald Hirschsprung, who presented two infants with fatal constipation at the German Society of Pediatrics more than one century ago, is known in medicine for his eponym of intestinal aganglionosis. Events running before and after Dr. Hirschsprung’s discovery may drive interest in medical students and doctors to review the diagnostic procedures of this intriguing disease and recognize the enormous input given from microscopy and pathology to this diagnosis.