Spracklen, F H · South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde · 1988
This 1988 review article discusses chronic fatigue syndrome (also called myalgic encephalomyelitis) and explains why there has been so much confusion about this condition. The author reviews what doctors know about the illness, including its possible causes and symptoms, and discusses why having a clear definition of the disease is important for research and treatment. The article emphasizes that better understanding and more rigorous studies are needed to help patients.
This early synthesis helped establish ME/CFS as a legitimate medical condition worthy of systematic research rather than a purely psychological disorder. By advocating for standardized diagnostic criteria and rigorous clinical trials, this work contributed to the foundation for modern ME/CFS research and improved clinical recognition of the disease.
This review does not provide new experimental evidence proving the cause of ME/CFS or validating specific treatments. It cannot establish which proposed mechanisms are actually responsible for the illness, as it synthesizes existing literature rather than testing new hypotheses. The paper's recommendations for future research do not themselves prove the effectiveness of any particular diagnostic or treatment approach.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Spracklen, F H (1988). The chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)--myth or mystery?. South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3055363/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-spracklen-1988-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Spracklen, F H},
title = {The chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)--myth or mystery?},
journal = {South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde},
year = {1988},
note = {PubMed: 3055363},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/spracklen-1988-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/spracklen-1988-chronic-fatigue
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