Hepatic viscerotomy specimens collected in the Amazon during the years from 1934 to 1940 with the diagnosis of hepatic atrophy were reexamined to investigate the occurrence and distribution of Labrea hepatitis, a condition first described histopathologically in the 1960s decade. Of 28 samples examined, 11 showed microscopic features presently considered as characteristic of Labrea hepatitis. Of the remaining samples, 5 showed some but not all characteristic features of this disease, 5 showed massive or submassive hepatic necrosis usually associated with viral aetiology. We conclude that the occurrence of Labrea hepatitis precedes its original description and extends beyond Amazonian regions of Brazil, to Colombia and Peru, being within the small number of samples studied in 1935 (1 case), 1936 (3 cases), 1937 (1 case), 1938 (5 cases) and 1940 (1 case). Some recents studies suggest a constant participation of HBs and Delta antigens associated with the morbidity and mortality of Labrea hepatitis.