Chronology of cutaneous leishmaniasis: An overview of the history of the disease

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic infection caused by the protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. It is named after Leishman, who first described it in London. The discovery of parasites in lesions of cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis was reported in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By the mid 1900s, the transmission and life cycle of the Leishmania organism had been confirmed scientifically. Since that time, manyclinical syndromes and numerous (at least 20) morphologically similar species and subspecies of the protozoan have been discovered. This article is an attempt to describe chronicals of the disease; broadly dividing into three periods, i.e, ancient times, discoveries of nineteenth and twentieth centuries and current research.