From Cleopatra to Obama: A Look at Hemorrhoids History

Gather up boys and girls. I am most definite that neither one of you would like to see hemorrhoids sticking out. I bet that would totally gross you out. I know, I would probably puke or something if I see one. But has anyone actually stopped and wondered where did it all start? Who discovered it? I had to dig up some interesting hemorrhoids history. This isn’t much, but I thought you’d find and interesting (and funny) to know a few firsts on hemorrhoids.

1. As early as 2250 BC hemorrhoids have been a big pain in the ass. In fact, the Code of Hammurabi of Babylon described the symptoms of hemorrhoids. It would probably be safe to say that it is one of the oldest discomfort/ailment known to men.

2. The Egyptians were the first people who medically recorded the remedies for hemorrhoids. I can’t tell you if Queen Cleopatra tried the remedy on for herself though.

3. A Greek Physician named Hippocrates (I bet you’re familiar with him – go grab a history book!) also wrote something about hemorrhoids describing it as bile or phlegm which is determined to be the veins in the rectum. On Hemorrhoids was one of his works. Text was later translated to English by Francis Adams back in the mid 1800s.

4. The first recorded use of endoscopy (use of speculum to inspect the rectum) can also be credited to Hippocrates. Although I don’t know if he used first on himself.

5. Even the bible has records of piles in the earliest times: from the Old Testament Book of Samuel 5:9 Philistines, “punished with emerods” and Samuel 5:12, “People who moved the Ark to Ekron were punished with emerods”. Can I assume then that this is where the piles got its name?

6. One of the earliest known pile treatment was the aloe vera plant. Dioscorides, a Roman physician takes the credit for that. (Aloe vera plant is also used for our crowning glory – the hair, no apparent connection to hemorrhoids.)

7. About 130 200 AD the Roman physician of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Galen) prescribed ointment, laxatives, and leeches for hemorrhoids treatment (to the Emperor? I have no idea. It wasn’t stated in my history book).

8. In India, the use of clamp and cautery was described by Susruta Samhita.

9. Between the 5^th and 10^th Century, Byzantine physicians used thread to ligate the base of the hemorrhoid and then followed by its amputation.

10. John of Ardene wrote an article on hemorrhoids management as well as the use of enemas in the mid 1300s.

11. Using the modern era of endoscopy, Philip Bozzini (an Italian-German physician) used an aluminum tube to see the genitourinary tract. He then earned the title - the father of endoscopy.

12. St. Marks Hospital in London was the probably the first hospital to specialize and provid modern treatments for fistula and piles.

13. In 1935, Doctors E.T.C. Milligan and C. Naughton Morgan further studied the excision / ligation method at St. Marks Hospital. Later becoming the gold standard in hemorrhoidectomy.

14. Introduction of banding or rubber band ligation was introduced in the 1960s.

15. In the 70s cryotheraphy, infrared coagulation, diathermy, and laser cauteries were developed for pile treatment. Those treatments hurt. Not based from experience but extensive online reading.

16. Latest technology for hemorrhoid treatment was introduced in Italy by A. Longo. This procedure is known as prolapse and hemorrhoids (PPH) or stapled hemorrhoidectomy.

I know it’s still a taboo to talk about hemorrhoids. Statistically speaking, approximately 1 in every 26 Americans suffer from this digestive* disease. Sometimes, it pays to know how it began and how far we’ve come from the earliest times. The least we can be thankful of is that there are modern treatments available that we can choose from.