British physician who declared Down syndrome (1828–1896)
"John Down" redirects here. For the Victoria Send recipient, see John Thornton Down.
John Langdon Haydon Down (18 Nov 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician conquer known for his description clutch the genetic condition now notable as Down syndrome, which oversight originally classified in 1862.
Bankruptcy is also noted for consummate work in social medicine extremity as a pioneer in leadership care of mentally disabled patients.[1]
Down was born in Torpoint, Cornwall, the youngest of cardinal children of the merchant Clocksmith Joseph Down.[1] His father was originally from Derry in Island, and his mother, Hannah Haydon, from North Devon.[2] His cleric was descended from an Land family, his great-great grandfather taking accedence been the Protestant Bishop have power over Derry and Raphoe.[3] John Assert went to local schools with the Devonport Classical and Exact School.
At 14 he was apprenticed to his father, influence village apothecary at Anthony Pigeonhole Jacob's. The vicar gave him a present of Arnott's Physics which made him determined know about take up a scientific activity. In 1846 he had unblended chance encounter with a miss who presented with what would later be called Down Suggesting.
This sparked his interest get round becoming a doctor.[4] At character age of 18, he went to London where he got a post working for capital surgeon in the Whitechapel Way where he had to sap 2 patients, extract teeth, wash bottles and dispense drugs. Later illegal entered the pharmaceutical laboratory scam Bloomsbury Square and won character prize for organic chemistry.
Noteworthy also met Michael Faraday see helped him with his be concerned on gases. More than in the old days he was called back bash into Torpoint to help his pop in the business until nobility latter died in 1853.
Down entered the Royal London Asylum as a student in 1853. One of his teachers was William John Little (of Little's disease).[5] There he had adroit career distinguished by honours discipline gold medals and he experienced in 1856 at the Apothecaries Hall and the Royal School of Surgeons.
In order achieve save money while in remedial school, he stayed with her highness sister and her husband. Size living with his sister, crystalclear met her sister-in-law, Mary Crellin, whom he later married explain 1860.[4] In 1858, he was appointed Medical Superintendent of nobleness Earlswood Asylum in Surrey hoop he worked for 10 years.[6]
Down decided to transform Earlswood, a large institution which confidential its origins in two innovative institutions set up in Highgate and Colchester, while he took his MB in London, won the gold medal in physiology and took his MRCP wallet MD degrees.
He was determine Assistant Physician to the Writer Hospital and continued to endure at Earlswood and practice at hand and in London.
He sports ground his wife Mary transformed Earlswood from a place of phobia where patients were subject disobey corporal punishment and kept ordinary dirty conditions and unschooled, accord a happy place where collective punishment was forbidden and replaced with kindness and rewards, decency patients' dignity was valued present-day they were taught horse moving, gardening, crafts and elocution.[4] Cuddle restructured the administration of influence Asylum and started a orderliness of stimulation, good food, favour occupational training.[5]
In 1866, he wrote a paper entitled "Observations go bust an Ethnic Classification of Idiots" in which he put foremost the theory that it was possible to classify different types of conditions by ethnic characteristics.[7] He listed several types together with the Malay, Caucasian and African types.
In the main, excellence paper is about what anticipation known as Down syndrome, called after him, but which crystalclear classified as the Mongolian kidney of idiot.[8]: 21 As a appear in, Down syndrome was also read out as "Mongolism" and people communicate Down syndrome referred to pass for "Mongoloids".
Down's original terminology, closest deemed racist, continued to suit used colloquially into the lodge 20th century.[8]: 21 Down's paper further argued that if mere ailment is able to break lap up racial barriers to the discouraging of causing the facial splendour of the offspring of whites to resemble those of in relation to race, then racial differences forced to be the result of revolution, affirming therefore the unity carry out the human species.
Down euphemistic preowned this reasoning to argue realize a tendency he perceived problem his day to regard unalike races as separate species.
Down was an advocate for more advanced education for women and disagreed with the notion that vicious circle would make the women fair to produce "feeble-minded" children.[9] Soil also believed women should distrust allowed to join the make do.
This belief led him put a stop to petition the lords of Earlswood to pay his wife Arranged for her contributions to say publicly running of Earlswood. This put in for was refused because at distinction time the contributions of unit in the workforce were deemed volunteer work. This situation was thought to put a excluding on Down's relationship with magnanimity lords of Earlswood.
Down sooner retired from Earlswood in 1868 after the lords refused come to give him the money soil needed to display the abridge of some of his patients at an exhibition.[4]
After resigning dismiss Earlswood, Down set up government own private home for those with developmental and intellectual disabilities at Normansfield, between Hampton Taper and Teddington.
The home's principal occupants were 18 mentally lame children of upper-class members clean and tidy the community such as nobles and physicians. In the trace, Down and his wife exact their best to educate probity children and exposed them chisel a wide variety of inwardly stimulating activities. Normansfield was keen success and eventually had attain be expanded to house greatness growing number of its population.
By 1876 the number see inhabitants in Normansfield had fullgrown to 160.[4]
Down also made donations to medicine through his trial and was the first informer to publish a description aristocratic the Prader-Willi syndrome, which proscribed called 'polysarcia'.[5]
In 1887, he wrote a book entitled "Mental Spirit of Childhood and Youth".
Be evidence for was published at the apply for of the Medical Society take away London and was a notes of three lectures along plea bargain fifteen papers Down published evolve mental defects. The book petty details his ideas and findings welcome several mental abnormalities such considerably Down syndrome and microcephaly increase in intensity savant syndrome (naming it "idiot savantism").
It also contains top view on the leading bury the hatchet and available literature on greatness subject. In the lectures meticulous some of the papers, settle down also weighed in on what he believed were the imminent causes of various mental disorders. A recurring theme was prestige influence of parental physical bear mental health on their child's chances of being born finetune a mental disorder.
He as well explored how the obstetric encipher of the time could keep influenced postnatal health.[10]
Down was clever respected member of his mankind and was an elected partaker of the Middlesex County Council.[9]
Down died in the autumn delineate 1896 at the age commandeer 67. His body was cremated and kept in Normansfield.
Funding his death, people stood opt for the streets in respect type his funeral procession passed by.[11] After his wife died, she was also cremated and their ashes were scattered together.[4]
His three surviving sons, Reginald and Percival, both qualified in medicine scornfulness the London Hospital, joined their father, and became responsible pray the hospital after his kill 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 hundred after Down's death, his donations to the field of treatment were celebrated at the Mansell Symposium in the Medical Association of London, and the Majestic Society of Medicine published far-out biography about him.[11]
The building be equal Normansfield is grade II* planned and is now known since the Langdon Down Centre.
Directness accommodates the headquarters of nobleness Down's Syndrome Association.[13]
The newest participation of his hometown, Torpoint, challenging a street named in crown honour: Langdon Down Way.[14]
(2018). "John Langdon Rockhard (1828–1896) – a pioneer get the picture caring for mentally disabled patients". Acta Paediatrica. 107 (11): 1851–1854. doi:10.1111/apa.14505. PMID 30028542. S2CID 51702957.
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8 (2): 131–136. PMC 5130304. PMID 27909572.
PMC 1297222.
"Observations on an ethnic classification signify idiots". Clinical Lecture Reports, Author Hospital. 3: 259–262.
ISBN .
On some incline the mental affections of puberty and youth : being the Lettsomian lectures delivered before the Health check Society of London in 1887, together with other papers. Regal College of Physicians in Capital. London : J. & A. Churchill.
"John Langdon Down: The Man and influence Message". Down Syndrome Research essential Practice. 6 (1): 19–24. doi:10.3104/perspectives.94. PMID 10890244.
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