Introduction

Freiherr von Münchhausen lived in Germany in the 18th century and was famous for telling fascinating stories about his military career. A contemporary of his, the writer Rudolf Erich Raspe, was inspired by these stories and created the fictional character Baron Munchausen who experienced incredible adventures. In the 1950s, the English physician Richard Asher used the name Munchausen syndrome (factitious disorder imposed on self) to describe patients who present with false symptoms to a health professional. In the 1970s, the English paediatrician Sir Roy Meadow applied the term Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) (factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA)) to a type of child abuse, where caregivers with mental health problems fabricate or induce illness in their child. Here, these rare medical conditions are explored from a historical and international perspective.