HISTORY
Epidermolysis bullosa was first described in 1870 by von Hebra under the name “erblichen pemphigus”. Its current name, “epidermolysis bullosa hereditaria”, was coined by Koebner in 1886. Hallopeau recognized the distinct clinical features of simplex and dystrophic forms of EB in 1898. Junctional EB was first identified in 1935 by Herlitz and termed “EB letalis”. Precise characterization of these three major EB types via the use of transmission electron microscopy was first achieved by Pearson in 1962. In the ensuing years, additional EB phenotypes were described. Monoclonal antibody studies provided the first suggestion that specific protein defects underlie individual types and subtypes of this disease. In 1986, the National EB Registry was established in the US by the National Institutes of Health, facilitating epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory characterization of each major EB type and subtype. In 1991, Bonifas et al. utilized linkage analysis to demonstrate the molecular basis for EB simplex. Subsequent work by others has established the precise molecular basis for most of the EB subtypes recognized to date.