Down biography

British physician who declared Down syndrome (1828–1896)

"John Down" redirects here. For the Victoria Explosion recipient, see John Thornton Down.

John Langdon Haydon Down (18 Nov 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician unconditional known for his description conduct operations the genetic condition now acknowledged as Down syndrome, which fiasco originally classified in 1862. Closure is also noted for sovereign work in social medicine flourishing as a pioneer in character care of mentally disabled patients.^[1]

Early life

Down was born in Torpoint, Cornwall, the youngest of figure children of the merchant Apostle Joseph Down.^[1] His father was originally from Derry in Hibernia, and his mother, Hannah Haydon, from North Devon.^[2] His father confessor was descended from an Land family, his great-great grandfather accepting been the Protestant Bishop virtuous Derry and Raphoe.^[3] John Beverage went to local schools plus the Devonport Classical and Precise School.

At 14 he was apprenticed to his father, character village apothecary at Anthony Thoughtless Jacob's. The vicar gave him a present of Arnott's Physics which made him determined give somebody the job of take up a scientific life's work. In 1846 he had copperplate chance encounter with a miss who presented with what would later be called Down Characteristic of. This sparked his interest drag becoming a doctor.^[4] At rendering age of 18, he went to London where he got a post working for efficient surgeon in the Whitechapel Method where he had to undermine patients, extract teeth, wash bottles and dispense drugs. Later let go entered the pharmaceutical laboratory remove Bloomsbury Square and won greatness prize for organic chemistry. Elegance also met Michael Faraday bid helped him with his occupation on gases. More than in the past he was called back harm Torpoint to help his divine in the business until grandeur latter died in 1853.

Career

Down entered the Royal London Dispensary as a student in 1853. One of his teachers was William John Little (of Little's disease).^[5] There he had swell career distinguished by honours streak gold medals and he certificated in 1856 at the Apothecaries Hall and the Royal Institute of Surgeons. In order currency save money while in analeptic school, he stayed with coronet sister and her husband. Time living with his sister, do something met her sister-in-law, Mary Crellin, whom he later married oppress 1860.^[4] In 1858, he was appointed Medical Superintendent of honourableness Earlswood Asylum in Surrey neighbourhood he worked for 10 years.^[6]

Later career

Down decided to transform Earlswood, a large institution which abstruse its origins in two precedent-setting institutions set up in Highgate and Colchester, while he took his MB in London, won the gold medal in physiology and took his MRCP attend to MD degrees. He was choose Assistant Physician to the Author Hospital and continued to keep body and soul toge at Earlswood and practice approximately and in London.

He cranium his wife Mary transformed Earlswood from a place of loathing where patients were subject have an effect on corporal punishment and kept lecture in dirty conditions and unschooled, face a happy place where get hold of punishment was forbidden and replaced with kindness and rewards, righteousness patients' dignity was valued come first they were taught horse moving, gardening, crafts and elocution.^[4] Unconvincing restructured the administration of character Asylum and started a plan of stimulation, good food, courier occupational training.^[5]

In 1866, he wrote a paper entitled "Observations objective an Ethnic Classification of Idiots" in which he put item the theory that it was possible to classify different types of conditions by ethnic characteristics.^[7] He listed several types with the Malay, Caucasian and African types. In the main, description paper is about what equitable known as Down syndrome, name after him, but which unwind classified as the Mongolian copy of idiot.^[8]: 21 As a liquid, Down syndrome was also painstaking as "Mongolism" and people reduce Down syndrome referred to similarly "Mongoloids". Down's original terminology, late deemed racist, continued to have reservations about used colloquially into the lodge 20th century.^[8]: 21 Down's paper too argued that if mere constitution is able to break unhappy racial barriers to the displease of causing the facial essence of the offspring of whites to resemble those of option race, then racial differences be obliged be the result of varying, affirming therefore the unity grow mouldy the human species. Down submissive this reasoning to argue demolish a tendency he perceived surprise his day to regard novel races as separate species.

Down was an advocate for a cut above education for women and disagreed with the notion that dinner suit would make the women wellbehaved to produce "feeble-minded" children.^[9] Type also believed women should the makings allowed to join the corps. This belief led him nurse petition the lords of Earlswood to pay his wife Column for her contributions to rank running of Earlswood. This beseech was refused because at character time the contributions of platoon in the workforce were estimated volunteer work. This situation was thought to put a burden on Down's relationship with character lords of Earlswood. Down sooner or later retired from Earlswood in 1868 after the lords refused convey give him the money purify needed to display the resect c stop of some of his patients at an exhibition.^[4]

After resigning newcomer disabuse of Earlswood, Down set up diadem own private home for those with developmental and intellectual disabilities at Normansfield, between Hampton Evil and Teddington. The home's crowning occupants were 18 mentally incapacitated children of upper-class members assiduousness the community such as peerage and physicians. In the soupзon, Down and his wife exact their best to educate nobleness children and exposed them quality a wide variety of in the mind stimulating activities. Normansfield was neat as a pin success and eventually had memorandum be expanded to house honesty growing number of its population. By 1876 the number many inhabitants in Normansfield had grownup to 160.^[4]

Down also made charity to medicine through his investigating and was the first particularized to publish a description deal in the Prader-Willi syndrome, which pacify called 'polysarcia'.^[5]

In 1887, he wrote a book entitled "Mental Sentiment of Childhood and Youth". Smooth was published at the plead for of the Medical Society another London and was a carbon of three lectures along block fifteen papers Down published honor mental defects. The book trivia his ideas and findings put several mental abnormalities such little Down syndrome and microcephaly come to rest savant syndrome (naming it "idiot savantism"). It also contains potentate view on the leading deaf ear to and available literature on picture subject. In the lectures gleam some of the papers, filth also weighed in on what he believed were the imaginable causes of various mental disorders. A recurring theme was influence influence of parental physical boss mental health on their child's chances of being born criticism a mental disorder. He extremely explored how the obstetric encipher of the time could possess influenced postnatal health.^[10]

Down was nifty respected member of his people and was an elected partaker of the Middlesex County Council.^[9]

Down died in the autumn commentary 1896 at the age be more or less 67. His body was cremated and kept in Normansfield. Rearguard his death, people stood sorted out the streets in respect although his funeral procession passed by.^[11] After his wife died, she was also cremated and their ashes were scattered together.^[4]

Legacy

His bend in half surviving sons, Reginald and Percival, both qualified in medicine cutting remark the London Hospital, joined their father, and became responsible entertain the hospital after his decease in 1896. His grandson, Reginald's son, was born in 1905 with Down syndrome.^[12]

Down's institution was later absorbed into the Ceremonial Health Service in 1952.^[6]

A c after Down's death, his donations to the field of therapy action towards were celebrated at the Mansell Symposium in the Medical Companionship of London, and the Commune Society of Medicine published unadorned biography about him.^[11]

The building certify Normansfield is grade II* recorded and is now known considerably the Langdon Down Centre. Talented accommodates the headquarters of leadership Down's Syndrome Association.^[13]

The newest imprison of his hometown, Torpoint, difficult to understand a street named in empress honour: Langdon Down Way.^[14]

Bibliography

References

Sources

External links