[The tribulations of the mysterious Dr. B...., precursors of the endoscopy].

The author is an experienced student of the origins and development of endoscopy from its beginnings with the speculum. Among the various contributors in this field in the medical literature of the 19th century appear the mysterious doctors B.....I. These names were the result of alterations, modifications and misspellings of the same name. Such entries became so ingrained in the literature they were hardly contested. One of the essential tasks of the historian is to verify and criticize even primary sources (Marc Bloch). This is especially true of early documents, no matter how surprising and enthusiastic they may be.