Melvin Ramsay

Doctor A. Melvin Ramsay was consultant physician in Infectious Diseases at the Royal Free Hospital in London, United Kingdom, where an outbreak of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) occurred in 1955. He is considered the foremost expert on the outbreak and later examined similar outbreaks occurring in other cities and countries. In 1985, Dr. Ramsay published a case definition of the illness called the Ramsay definition. Throughout his life, he was committed to public and professional education about the illness and to dispelling misconceptions that the illness was of psychological origin.

Books

 * 1986 - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Postviral Fatigue States: The Saga of Royal Free Disease, (originally titled Postviral Fatigue Syndrome: The Saga of Royal Free Disease

Journal publications

 * 1965, Correspondence - Hysteria and "Royal Free Disease" by Melvin Ramsay, in The BMJ (Full Text)
 * 1965, Correspondence - Eclipse of hysteria by Dr Betty Scott and Melvin Ramsay, in The BMJ {(Full Text)
 * 1970, Correspondence - Epidemic malaise by N. D. Compston, H. E. Dimsdale, Melvin Ramsay, and A. T. Richardson, in The BMJ (Full Text)
 * 1973, Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis (No abstract available)
 * 1977, Letter to the editor - Icelandic disease (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis or Royal Free disease) by Melvin Ramsay, Elizabeth Dowsett, J V Dadswell, W H Lyle, and J G Parish, in The BMJ (Full Text)
 * 1978, 'Epidemic neuromyasthenia' 1955-1978 (Full Text)
 * 1979, Clinical and biochemical findings in ten patients with benign myalgic encephalomyelitis (Full Text)
 * 1990, Myalgic encephalomyelitis--a persistent enteroviral infection? (Free Text)

ME Association
Dr. Ramsay helped create the ME Association in 1976.

Online presence

 * PubMed

Learn More

 * Ramsay's Definition for M.E., by National Alliance for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (NAME)