‘Anorexia Nervosa’ – Still Relevant in the Twenty-first Century? A Review of William Gull’s Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

In 1874 William Gull published ‘Anorexia Nervosa’ an article detailing the cases of two young women presenting with severe and unexplained weight loss, as well as a more general exploration of the author’s experience with the condition he labelled ‘anorexia nervosa’. The article represents a fascinating first step in the study of a disorder of ever-increasing focus both in medicine and among the general population. Gull’s original description still forms the basis of modern day definitions of anorexia. To read ‘Anorexia Nervosa’ is to add depth and history to our understanding of eating disorders. It also reminds us of an earlier era when medicine and psychiatry were not so separated as they are today.