James Parkinson

DR. James Parkinson

Signature:

Who was he?

James Parkinson was an English surgeon, pharmacist, geologist, palaeontologist and political activist. He was best known for his work in 1817, "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy" in which he was the first to describe "paralysis agitans", a condition that later will be renamed Parkinson's disease. James Parkinson was born on April 11 1755 in Shoreditch, London in England. He was the son of John Parkinson, an pharmacist and surgeon who worked in Hoxton Square in London. He was the oldest of five sons, including his brother William and his sister Mary Sedgwick. In 1784 Parkinson was approved by the City of London Corporation as a surgeon. In 1783, he married Mary Dale and he had eight children with her, but two didn't survive. Soon, after he was married, Parkinson succeeded his father in his work in Hoxton Square.

This is the Parkinson's home and office in Hoxton Square

his political career

In addition to his medical practice, Parkinson had an interest in geology, palaeontology and for the politics. Parkinson was a strong advocate for the underprivileged, (the humblest), and a critic of the Pitt government (a British governor). His early career was marked by his being involved in society and revolution and he most probably was a strong proponent for the French Revolution. He published nearly 20 political pamphlets in the post-French Revolution period, while Britain was in political chaos. Writing under his own name and his pseudonym "Old Hubert", he asked for social reforms and universal suffrage.

his political career

Parkinson asked for representation of the people in the House of Commons, the institution of annual parliaments. He was a member of several secret political societies, including the London Corresponding Society and the Society for Constitutional Information. In 1794, his membership in the organisation led to him being examined before William Pitt to give evidence about a trumped-up plot to assassinate King George III.

his medical career

Parkinson turned away from his political career, and between 1799 and 1807 published several medical works. He was also responsible for early writings on ruptured appendix. Parkinson was interested in improving the general health and wellness of the population. He was a destroyer for legal protection for the mentally ill, as well as their doctors and families. In 1812, Parkinson assisted his son with the first described case of appendicitis in English. Parkinson was the first person to describe six individuals with symptoms of the disease that bears his name. In An Essay on the Shaking Palsy (1817), he reported on three of his own patients and three persons who he saw in the street. He referred to the disease that would later bear his name as paralysis agitans, or shaking palsy. Jean-Martin Charcot coined the term "Parkinson's disease" some 60 years later.

Parkinson's disease

First page of Parkinson's essay on shaking palsy

Parkinson's desease

Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination. Parkinson's symptoms usually begin gradually and get worse over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue. Both men and women can have Parkinson’s disease. However, the disease affects about 50% more men than women. One risk factor for Parkinson's is age. Most people with Parkinson develop the disease at age of 60, but some people develop the disease at the age of 50.

the causes

Parkinson's disease occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, in an area of the brain that controls movement get ruined and/or die. Normally, these neurons produce an important brain chemical, dopamine. When the neurons die or get ruined, they produce less dopamine, which causes the movement problems of Parkinson. Scientists don’t know because cells that produce dopamine die. People with Parkinson's also lose the nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, (norepinefrina) the main chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls many autonomic functions of the body, such as heart rate and blood pressure. The loss of norepinephrine causes fatigue, irregular blood pressure. Some cases of Parkinson's appear hereditary, and a few are caused by specific genetic mutations, but in most cases the disease occurs randomly. Many researchers believe that Parkinson's disease is a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors like exposure to toxins.

the Symptoms

Symptoms may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking, urinary problems and skin problems and sleep disruptions. Symptoms of Parkinson’s and the rate of progression differ among individuals. Sometimes people exchange symptoms of Parkinson's as the effects of normal aging. There are no medical tests to detect the disease, so it can be difficult to diagnose. Some affected people may feel mild tremors or have difficulty getting out of a chair. They can speak too softly and their handwriting can be slow and looks small. They may see that the person's face lacks expression and animation, or that the person doesn’t move an arm or a leg normally. People with Parkinson's often develop a tendency to lean forward and small quick steps.

The treatments

There isn’t a cure for Parkinson's disease, but medicines, surgical treatment, and other therapies can relieve some symptoms. Medicines prescribed for Parkinson's include: -Drugs that increase the level of dopamine in the brain. -Drugs that affect other brain chemical in the body -Drugs that help control nonmotor symnpoms The main therapy for Parkinson's is levodopa, also called L-dopa. Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine. Usually, people take levodopa along with another medication called carbidopa. Carbidopa prevents or reduces some of the side effects of levodopa therapy, such as nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, and restlessness. People with Parkinson's never stop taking levodopa without telling their doctor. Suddenly stopping the drug may have serious side effects, such as being unable to move or having difficulty breathing. Other medicines include: -Dopamine agonists to mimic the role of dopamin in the brain -MAO-B inibitors to slow down an enzyme that breaks dopamine in the brain -COMT inhibitors to help break down dopamine

Deep Brain Stimulation

People with Parkinson’s who don’t respond well to medications can also use the DBS (deep brain stimulation). DBS is a surgical procedure that implants electrodes into part of the brain and connects them to a small electrical device implanted in the chest. The device and electrodes painlessly stimulate the brain in a way that helps stop many of the movement symptoms of Parkinson's, such as tremor, slowness of movement, and rigidity. Other therapies include physical, occupational, and speech therapies, which help with gait and voice disorders, tremors and rigidity. Other therapies include a healthy diet and exercises to strengthen muscles and improve balance.

Other therapies

His Paleontology work

Parkinson's interest turned from medicine to nature, specifically the new fields of geology and palaeontology. He began collecting specimens and drawings of fossils. He took his children and friends on excursions to collect and observe fossil plants and animals. His attempts to learn more about fossil identification and interpretation were hampered by a lack of available literature in English, so he took the decision to writing his own introduction to the study of fossils.

Megatherium fossil illustrated in Parkinson's Organic Remains of a Former World.

His Paleontology work

In 1804, the first volume of his "Organic Remains of a Former World" was published. Gideon Mantell praised it as "the first attempt to give a familiar and scientific account of fossils". A second volume was published in 1808, and a third in 1811. Parkinson illustrated each volume and his daughter Emma coloured some of the plates. In 1822, Parkinson published the shorter "Outlines of Oryctology: an Introduction to the Study of Fossil Organic Remains, especially of those found in British Strata".

Fossilized turtle found in the London Clay on the Isle of Sheppey and named for Parkinson. It's a part of collection of Teylers Museum

The Geological society and the catastrophism

Parkinson also contributed several papers to William Nicholson's "A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts", and in the first, second, and fifth volumes of the "Geological Society's Transactions". He wrote a single volume Outlines of Oryctology in 1822, a more popular work. On 13 November 1807, Parkinson and other distinguished gentlemen met at the Freemasons' Tavern in London. The gathering included such great names as Sir Humphry Davy, Arthur Aikin and George Bellas Greenough. This was to be the first meeting of the Geological Society of London. Parkinson belonged to a school of thought, catastrophism, that was the belief that the Earth's geology and biosphere were shaped by recent cataclysms. He believed that each "day" was actually a much longer period, that lasted maybe tens of thousands of years.

The first meeting of the Geological Society of London at the Freemasons' Tavern

The Catastrophism Teory

HIs Death

Parkinson died on 21 December 1824, after a stroke. He bequeathed his houses in Langthorne to his sons and wife, and his apothecary's shop to his son John. His collection of organic remains was given to his wife, and much of it was sold in 1827. He was buried at St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch. Parkinson's life is commemorated with a stone tablet inside the church of St Leonard's; the exact site of his grave is not known and his body may lie in the crypt or in the churchyard. A blue plaque at 1 Hoxton Square marks the site of his home. In addition to the eponymous disease, Parkinson is commemorated in the names of several fossil organisms.

rip

here lies James Parkinson1755-1824

The World Parkinson Day is celebrated on April 11th. Is an international event created with the aim of raising awareness of this pathology. The date is not accidental: in fact, April 11 is the birthday of James Parkinson, (and mine :) the doctor who discovered the disease. The associations that organized this celebration for the first time in 1997 were the EPDA and the United Nations World Health Organization.

The end

By Alice Tonfoni