The Division of Rheumatology at Mount Sinai is heir to an illustrious history in our subspecialty that dates from the early days of the Medical Center. In the first part of the twentieth century, Mount Sinai saw the first descriptions of characteristic heart lesions that may occur in patients with lupus erythematosus (Drs. Emanuel Libman and Benjamin Sacks, 1924), recognition of the exacerbating effects of sun exposure and "wire loop" kidney lesions in patients with lupus (Dr. George Baehr, 1935), and original studies in the pathogenesis of tissue lesions induced by endotoxin and immune complexes (Dr. Gregory Shwartzman, 1937). Mid-century, the term "diffuse collagen disease" was introduced by a Mount Sinai pathologist as a critical element in scleroderma, lupus, and related disorders (Dr. Paul Klemperer, 1942), the first descriptions of allergic granulomatosis, now generally known as Churg-Strauss syndrome, were produced (Drs. Jacob Churg and Lotte Strauss, 1951), and the latex test for Rheumatoid Arthritis was developed and standardized (Dr. Jacques Singer with Dr. Charles Plotz, the first Division head in Rheumatology, 1956).
Also in the early 1950s, one of the first gout clinics in the United States was established at The Mount Sinai Hospital by a former Chairman of the Department of Medicine (Dr. Alexander Gutman, with Dr. Tsai-Fan Yu, Emeritus Professor in the Division), and it was at Sinai that the clinical effectiveness of probenecid in lowering the serum urate and diminishing the size of tophi was established (1951). The effectiveness of daily colchicine prophylaxis against recurrent attacks of acute gout was documented by Drs. Yu and Gutman in a landmark report in 1961, and this finding was subsequently corroborated by Dr. Yu in follow-up studies that extended for over 30 subsequent years.
Our Rheumatology Training Program was developed by Dr. Harry Spiera in the early 1970's, and under his direction Mount Sinai has developed as a major referral center for disorders such as Giant Cell Arteritis, Scleroderma, and Sjogren's syndrome, dedicated to providing excellent care and furthering basic knowledge pertinent to rheumatologic diseases.
In recent years, Dr. Spiera, Dr. Leslie Kerr, and Dr. Peter Gorevic, Director of the Division since 1997, have developed a focus in the important area of Geriatric Rheumatology, reflected both in the interdisciplinary training with the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai, and in Dr. Gorevic's long-standing interest in Aging and the Amyloid Diseases.
