Parkinson’s Disease is named after Dr. James Parkinson. You likely guessed he was an M.D., but did you know he was also a well-known geologist?! Born just north of London on April 11, 1755, he studied to be a doctor, and took over his father’s practice when he passed unexpectedly. A compassionate man, he was dedicated to disseminating medical information to a broad spectrum of society in a time when only those who were well off could afford to visit medical doctors. He was a prolific author, and wrote pamphlets, articles, and books, on topics ranging from care for children, personal hygiene, to the nutritional benefits of breast feeding. His medical magnus opus was a two-volume tome, entitled “Medical Admonitions Addressed to Families; Directions for the treatment of the sick on the first appearance of the disease; by which its progress may be stopped, and a fatal termination prevented from taking place, through neglect or improper interference.” [Yes, that’s just the title, not the book.] This comprehensive tome was detailed and yet easy-to-read, and when it appeared in 1799 it was common across Britain and even America. Yet he was more than a medical doctor. He was also an avid paleontologist who collected, described, and interpreted fossils. An early arrival to the field, Parkinson was an influential geologist who helped found the The Geological Society of London, the first geological society. He wrote and published a monumental three-volume contribution, Organic Remains of a Former World, between 1804 and 1811, that was widely acclaimed as important and influential. As he continued to travel widely to see patients and practice medicine, he continued to make keen observations, and make connections. It was in this manner that he noted elderly men who shuffled along the street, hunched over and with tremor. He introduced himself to three, and asked them a host of questions. These interrogations, and later interviews of three others, formed the basis for his synthesis and description of “the shaking palsy,” which effectively recognized the progressive nature of the disease. It was in 1872 that Jean-Martin Charcot described the condition as “le malalie de Parkinson,” a name it still bears. The picture is Parkinsonia parkinsoni, a Jurassic ammonite, named in his honor. April 11 is the birthday of Dr. James Parkinson. Today we remember him. April is #ParkinsonsAwarenessMonth.
