Erythrocyte sedimentation rate: Diagnostic value and pitfalls of usage in clinical practice

Madam, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), first described by Edmund Biernacki, was considered an exciting addition to the diagnostic armamentarium of the physician and an important aid in the assessment of occult, obscure and elusive presentation of diseases. It gained further popularity when Alf Westergren modified the technique of measurement.