BPPV -- Earliest description

Timothy C. Hain, M.D. Last updated on May 22, 2021

This material was sent to me in 2006 by my former colleague, John Spindler. John was an expert on vestibular matters and always insisted that the old German literature had described nearly everything.

According to a note in the Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Medicine (see reference below), Dr. A Laskiewicz said that the first description of positional vertigo had been given by David William Busch, professor of surgery, at the U. Frankfurt/Main, then in Bonn. His sketch (shown in that article as well as above) showed a patient in bed experiencing a revolving movement.

Dr. Busch also published a series of humerous sketches, Humoristicher Hausschatz, which show rather graphically vertigo and emesis.

References:

• Proc R Soc Med Vol 60, Oct 1968, page 970. Letter from A. Laskiewicz.
• Humoristicher Hausschatz, Wilhelm Busch. Friedr Basserman'Sche Verlagsvuchhandlung im Falken-Verlag Erich Sicker KG.Weisbaden.