Gestational trophoblastic disease: The Philippine experience / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

ABSTRACT

@#The first documented description of hydatidiform mole dates back to 400 BC when Hippocrates (470–410 BC) explained its formation through the consumption of dirty water by the pregnant woman. Interestingly, in 1276, the countess of Henneberg reportedly died after giving birth to “as many children as there were days in the year”. In 1752, William Smelie coined the terms mole and hydatidiform to describe the pathology as a bunch of grapes consisting of different sizes. Indeed, this condition that we have come to recognize as a hydatidiform mole (HM) has fascinated humans for centuries. But, it was not until 1903 when it was formally recognized as a clinical entity.