Pernicious anemia historical perspective
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Overview
Historical Perspective
Historical Perspective
The treatment for pernicious anemia was first devised by George Whipple who bled dogs to make them anemic and then fed them various substances to see what (if anything) would make them healthy again. He discovered that ingesting large amounts of liver seemed to cure the disease. George Minot and William Murphy then set about to chemically isolate the curative substance and ultimately were able to isolate the vitamin BTemplate:Ssub from the liver. For this, all three shared the 1934 Nobel Prize in Medicine. As a result, pernicious anemia is now treated with either vitamin B12 injections, or large oral doses of vitamin B12, typically between 2 and 4 mg daily.
Famous sufferers
- Inez Milholland, American Suffragette.
- Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish scientist and inventor.
- Annie Oakley.
- Norman Warne, Editor/Publisher & fiance’ of Beatrix Potter.
- Yoon Eun Hye, A South Korean actress
Looking for the patient version?
© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH
