Hemorrhoids is a condition that has been known and treated for at least 4000 years<sup>54 Parks A.G. De Haemorrhois: A study in surgical history Guy's Hospital Reports 1955 ;  104 : 135-156

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti</sup> but has only recently come to be partially understood. Ardene (1307–1390), a surgeon from Newark, England, was reputed to have said: “The common people call them piles, the aristocracy call them hemorrhoids, the French call them figs—what does it matter so long as you can cure them?”<sup>1 Ardene J, 1370, quoted in: Rains AJH, Capper WM: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery London, HK: Lewis & Co (1968).  989-996

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti</sup> Definition, anatomy, cause, and successful treatment all are intertwined, and to understand and manage hemorrhoids correctly, an understanding of each must be sought.

The word hemorrhoid is derived from the Greek adjective haimorrhoides, which means bleeding (haima = blood; rhoos = flowing). The word pile is derived from the Latin word pila, meaning a ball. The two words, hemorrhoids and piles, have become misused over time. They have come to be used by laypeople for many of the conditions and symptoms associated with the perianal region. Medical personnel also use the terms imprecisely, which historically has led to confusion in the medical literature.