THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INC.)

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Multiple Sclerosis was first described by the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1868.

MS has since been the subject of intense, world-wide research, leading to improved diagnosis and treatments, but still the cause and a cure remain elusive.

Multiple Sclerosis was so named as it occurs in many areas of the brain and or spinal cord leading to the development of scar tissue. “Sclerosis” is derived from a Greek word meaning "hardened tissue or scars".

In the 1970s it was often difficult to diagnose MS and there were no real treatments to offer. In the mid 1980s the MRI scan revolutionized diagnosis and trials commenced on the disease modifying treatments still used today. Now we have new treatments and ongoing research that is slowly piecing together the puzzle that is MS.