"Was this an old disease, and, if so, which one? If it was new, what did that say about the state of medical knowledge? And in any case, how could physicians make sense of it?"

This quote by Peter Lewis Allen is referring to a medical mystery that physicians were attempting to make sense of. It is asking if the illness was old or brand-new, and if it was old, which one it was. If it was new, it would recommend that the state of medical knowledge was not as advanced as it could be. The quote is asking how doctors could understand the disease, recommending that it was an uphill struggle. It is highlighting the complexity of medical mysteries and the obstacle of understanding them. It is likewise stressing the significance of medical understanding and the requirement for physicians to be able to understand illness in order to provide efficient treatment.