Cyanosis

Descriptions of cyanopathia or Morbus caeruieus have populated medical literature since the time of Hippocrates, although the actual pathophysiology behind its development eluded physicians until the advent of objective anatomy and physiology. Morgagni, "accurate anatomist," philosopher, and one of the fathers of contemporary medicine, is often credited with having first described cyanosis, however, it was actually deSenac, personal physician to King Louis XV who first described the pathophysiology of cyanosis in 1749. It was not until over 2 centuries later, however, that Christen Lundsgaard actually quantified the amount of deoxygenated hemoglobin that was required to produce that bluish discoloration that produces the clinical finding of cyanosis. Here, McMullen and Patrick discuss the features, pathophysiology, and associated conditions of cyanosis.