ABSTRACT
In 1888, Sir William Osler first described a case of recurrent episodes of painless, non-pruritic swellings that occurred in a 24 year old female. These swellings typically lasted between one and four days and affected various parts of her body hands, fingers, knees, elbows, face and lips. Whilst most episodes affected the face and limbs, other more severe episodes resulted in abdominal colic, nausea and vomiting. He noted that these episodes would often occur spontaneously, with no specific triggers identified. Osler then obtained a comprehensive family history, which revealed that these symptoms had been present in twenty-eight other family members in the preceding five generations. He then went on to make the following conclusions: 1. "The occurrence of local swellings in various parts of the body, face, hands, arms, legs, genitals, buttocks, and throat. In one instance, possibly in two, death resulted from a sudden Oedema Glottidis. 2. Associated with oedema, there is almost invariably gastro-intestinal disturbance: colic, nausea, vomiting and sometimes diarrhoea. 3. A strongly marked hereditary disposition, the disease having affected members of the family in five generations. "