POMC and rheumatoid arthritis: The other diseases he listed were: ‘acute rheumatic fever, chorea, gout, chronic ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus diffusa, scleroderma (with oesophageal involvement), asthma, lymphadenopathies (including lymphosarcoma and Hodgkin’s disease).’ On ‘compound E’ and ACTH, McNee reiterated the now familiar accounts of ‘rapid and intensely dramatic effects’ in patients with RA, observing that though the drug’s effects were like turning a tap on and off, many courses of treatment led to ‘lasting improvement over a number of months.’ However, there were side effects to consider.