Contributors to the Understanding of Hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in the Modern Era

This chapter provides details of the evolution of the understanding of Hypermobility in the modern era. Biographical information concerning the main contributors is provided. Notable contributors discussed in this chapter include Cedric Carter (1917–1964), Victor McKusick (1921–2008), Howard Bird (1940?–2021), Frank Horan (1933–2015), Grahame (1934–) and Alan Emery (1928–). In the early 1950’s, after the chaos of WWII had subsided, interest in familial disorders began to expand in both paediatric and adult medicine. This process lead to the development of Medical Genetics as a research interest and subsequently evolved into an accepted medical speciality with the establishment of consultant posts at major academic hospitals in the UK, USA and continental Europe. As in the previous sections, brief biographical information concerning the major contributors to the understanding of Hypermobility is presented in this chapter. The author, PB was acquainted with most of them and they were regarded as personal friends. Joint hypermobilityJoint hypermobility" \i or articular hyperlaxity is conventually defined by the Beighton score. This index is commonly used and perhaps the most reliable professional tool for evaluating GJH. In an extensive review on JH, the concept of hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSDs) was created. In this approach, the continuity of JH, asymptomatic or symptomatic, as well as to documentation of its location, ageAge" \i group and natural history can be recognised.