title: Historical aspects of the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Since the first description of the disease in the early part of the nineteenth century, the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with the interacting concepts of diathesis or internal factors and environment or external factors.
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States