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NEUROLOGY 2007;69:482-485
© 2007 American Academy of Neurology
Historical Neurology

A new look at James Parkinson's Essay on the Shaking Palsy

Peter A. Kempster, MD, Brian Hurwitz, MD and Andrew J. Lees, MD

From the Neurosciences Department (P.A.K.), Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; and Department of English Language and Literature (B.H.), Kings College London, and Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (A.J.L.), London, UK.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Kempster, Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Rd., Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia peter.kempster{at}yahoo.co.uk

James Parkinson's Essay on the Shaking Palsy, published in 1817, represents a landmark in the development of writing about neurologic disorders. Parkinson was an astute clinician–investigator, and his wide scientific interests and ideas on social advancement in many ways typified the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment. Our commentary on the text of his essay identifies important sources of its originality: the particular way in which Parkinson collected and categorized clinical material, his use of a field neurology method to identify affected individuals, and his skills as a narrative writer. Although the essay belongs to an older tradition of disease classification, it also anticipates the modern neurologist's reliance on accurate clinical description and natural history in establishing a diagnosis.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received January 23, 2007. Accepted in final form March 6, 2007.




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