History of Dermatomyositis

Wagner also recognized an association between the rash and muscle weakness, but “was bent to incorporate the affection into the group of diseases of polymyositis and regarded it to a certain extent as the acutest form of the disease,” not as a unique entity. It was not until Unverricht’s seminal article in 1891 that the concept of an intimate connection between the rash and the muscle weakness became generally accepted and dermatomyositis and polymyositis became 2 distinct diseases.