"Celiac disease has been recognized for centuries (Dowd and 1974) by physicians aware of its major symptoms of and gastrointestinal distress accompanied by a wasting away in adults and a failure to grow in children. The Greek physician (first century A.D.) called the condition coeliac diathesis – coeliac deriving from the Greek word koeliakos, or abdominal cavity. The British physician provided what is generally considered the first modern, detailed description of the condition, which he termed the coeliac affection in deference to Aretaeus, in a lecture presented at in London (Gee 1888). At present, celiac disease (or, especially in Britain, coeliac disease) is the most commonly used term for the condition, although various others may be encountered, including celiac syndrome, celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and glutensensitive enteropathy."