[Historical note on the discovery of cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission by Phlebotomus].

In the last edition of Morton's medical Bibliography (1991) the discovery of the transmission of old world cutaneous leishmaniasis by phlebotomes is attributed to english-speaking authors having published between 1924 and 1942. In fact this discovery resulting from researches undertaken since 1904 is due to the team of the Institut Pasteur d'Algerie (E. & E. SERGENT and collaborators) and was published in 1921. We further recall the two meetings of the Société de pathologie exotique held in Paris on february 8 & 9 1933 during which were exposed the results obtained in Palestine & Syria by ADLER & THEODOR (1925-1929) who implicitly recognized the priority of the French workers of the Institut Pasteur d'Algérie.