Varicose veins have troubled mankind for thousands of years. Varicose veins are mentioned as early as 1550 B.C. in the Ebers papyrus, where it was recommended not to treat them. Varicose veins were also mentioned in ancient Greece. The role of varicose veins and venous hypertension in creating venous ulcers was recognized as early as the days of Hippocrates. Compression therapy, still in use today for the treatment of varicose veins and venous ulcers, was also recommended by Hippocrates. Also, the name ‘varicose veins’ is derived from the Latin word ‘varix’ which means twisted.
Some of the first true-to-life diagrams of varicose vein anatomy were created by Leonardo da Vinci during the 15th century. He also delineated normal venous anatomy, with much accuracy, despite lack of the posterior arch vein. Valves were not described until later when the Padova school of medicine anatomy professor Jeronimus Fabricius d’Aquapendente described them in 1603. Interestingly, the term ‘varicose’ was first coined to correlate between varicose veins and venous ulcers only in the mid sixteen hundreds. Further reading regarding the historical aspects of varicose vein treatment is available here.