(The Best Years in Life) Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths surrounding the nerve fibers in the spinal cord, eye and brain. With these myelin sheaths damaged, nerves cannot transmit the impulses necessary for the body to function properly which, in turn, results in a variety of neurological impairments. Medical science does not understand what causes MS, but attributes it to various factors, such as a genetics, environment insult, or viral infection. Interestingly enough though, no specific virus involved in MS has ever been indentified. MS is a fairly modern disease, with the first case being recorded in the early 1800′s. Jean Cruveilheir first described the symptoms in Pathological Anatomy of the Human Body (2 vols., 1829-1842). Read More.