The term anorexia nervosa was established in 1873 by Queen Victoria ’s personal physician, Sir William Gull. The term anorexia is of Greek origin: an - (ἀν-, prefix denoting negation) and orexis (ὄρεξις, appetite), thus translating to nervous absence of appetite.he history of anorexia nervosa begins with descriptions of religious fasting dating from the Hellenistic era and continuing into the medieval period.