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Samuel Adams’ tremor

From the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and the Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Elan D. Louis, Unit #198, Neurological Institute, 710 West 168th Street, NY, NY 10032; e-mail: EDL2{at}columbia.edu

BACKGROUND: Samuel Adams (1722–1803), the American Revolutionist and brewer, is said to have had a tremor. There has not been a formal study of the clinical characteristics and progression of his tremor.

OBJECTIVE: To use historical accounts and original materials to document the clinical characteristics and progression of Adams’ tremor.

MATERIALS: In addition to historical accounts of Adams, the following materials were reviewed: 1) Samuel Adams’ known writings, including personal and political letters, published posthumously in a four-volume book; and 2) original letters and speeches (handwritten by Adams) that are held in collection in the Manuscripts and Archives Division of the New York Public Library.

RESULTS: Adams had a tremor that affected his hands, head, and voice. Although mild, the tremor was already manifest when Adams was in his early 40s. Adams, who was very prolific, experienced progressive difficulty with his ability to write while in his 50s and early 60s. His letters contain frequent references to his illness and reveal a penmanship that became more compromised with time. By age 71, he was forced to dictate all his correspondence. His tremor was familial, affecting his daughter Hannah and her children.

CONCLUSIONS: Samuel Adams’ progressive tremor rendered him unable to write his own letters for the last 10 years of his life. Adams had one of the earliest documented cases of essential tremor.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Rajput, C. A. Robinson, and A. H. Rajput Essential tremor course and disability: A clinicopathologic study of 20 cases Neurology, March 23, 2004; 62(6): 932 - 936. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. L. Albin and E. D. Louis Samuel Adams' tremor Neurology, October 9, 2001; 57(7): 1350 - 1350. [Full Text] [PDF]

Correspondence: