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Historical Neurology

July 30, 2007

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

Peter A. Kempster, MD, Brian Hurwitz, MD, and Andrew J. Lees, MDAuthors Info & Affiliations

July 31, 2007 issue

69 (5) 482-485

https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000266639.50620.d1

Abstract

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.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Neurology^®

Volume 69 • Number 5 • July 31, 2007

Pages: 482-485

PubMed: 17664408

Copyright

© 2007.

Publication History

Published online: July 30, 2007

Published in print: July 31, 2007

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Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

Peter A. Kempster, 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.

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Brian Hurwitz, 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.

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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.

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Notes

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Kempster, Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Rd., Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia [email protected]

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