“Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disease that affects children and adults” (Celiac Disease Foundation). An autoimmune disease causes a person's immune system to produce antibodies against their own tissues. It is a genetic autoimmune disease passed down from a person's mother or father. Celiac disease must be inherited, it cannot be passed on from another person. To better understand celiac disease, resources should be used to fund research, researchers should focus more on the effects of the disease, and more efforts should be made to educate the public about the disease. In 250 AD, celiac disease was first described by Aretaeus. of Cappadocia in his writings. When describing celiac disease to his patients, he called them “koiliakos,” which also meant “pain in the intestines.” The observations were translated from Greek to English as "celiacs" by Francis Adams in 1856. In 1888, Samuel Gee, MD, worked with many children and adults with the disease. The main part of his study involved regulating the food consumed by patients to see how different foods were digested. In 1952, Willem Karel Dicke recognized that the ingestion of wheat proteins was one of the causes. After patients tried a diet without eating wheat protein, it was confirmed that the treatment worked. He found that if a person with celiac disease ate wheat protein, they probably had a history of damaged intestines (Celiac Sprue Association). People with celiac disease usually experience different types of symptoms. Some symptoms include abdominal pain or cramping, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea or vomiting, failure to thrive, and canker sores (Boston Children's Hospital). "When food enters the stomach, it is broken down into tiny digestible particles...... middle of paper ......celiacs.info/history_of_celiac_disease.jspKids Health. The Nemours Foundation., nd Web. May 7, 2013. .Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, February 10, 2012. Web. May 3, 2013. .National Celiac Disease Awareness Foundation. 2011 National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. April 18, 2013. Web. April 18, 2013. .Adolescent health. 1995-2013 The Nemours Foundation., nd Web. April 19, 2013. .University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, nd Web. May 6 2013. .