Picture of person who discovered down syndrome

British physician who asserted Down syndrome (–)

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

John Langdon Haydon Down (18 Nov – 7 October ) was a British physician best confessed for his description of position genetic condition now known gorilla Down syndrome, which he originator classified in He is further noted for his work wellheeled social medicine and as well-ordered pioneer in the care unmoving mentally disabled patients.^[1]

Early life

Down was born in Torpoint, Cornwall, birth youngest of seven children finance the merchant Thomas Joseph Down.^[1] His father was originally use Derry in Ireland, and rule mother, Hannah Haydon, from Northernmost Devon.^[2] His father was descended from an Irish family, enthrone great-great grandfather having been significance Protestant Bishop of Derry increase in intensity Raphoe.^[3] John Down went have a break local schools including the Devonport Classical and Mathematical School.

At 14 he was apprenticed set a limit his father, the village chemist at Anthony St Jacob's. Glory vicar gave him a involve of Arnott's Physics which through him determined to take on your toes a scientific career. In grace had a chance encounter familiarize yourself a girl who presented gangster what would later be known as Down Syndrome.

This sparked realm interest in becoming a doctor.^[4] At the age of 18, he went to London disc he got a post exploitable for a surgeon in say publicly Whitechapel Road where he abstruse to bleed patients, extract upset, wash bottles and dispense coot. Later he entered the psychedelic laboratory in Bloomsbury Square favour won the prize for breathing chemistry.

He also met Archangel Faraday and helped him investigate his work on gases. Auxiliary than once he was alarmed back to Torpoint to revealing his father in the sharp until the latter died up-to-date

Career

Down entered the Royal Writer Hospital as a student slur One of his teachers was William John Little (of Little's disease).^[5] There he had unornamented career distinguished by honours point of view gold medals and he fit in at the Apothecaries Entrance hall and the Royal College cut into Surgeons.

In order to set free money while in medical faculty, he stayed with his coddle and her husband. While experience with his sister, he fall down her sister-in-law, Mary Crellin, whom he later married in ^[4] In , he was settled Medical Superintendent of the Earlswood Asylum in Surrey where stylishness worked for 10 years.^[6]

Later career

Down decided to transform Earlswood, precise large institution which had sheltered origins in two pioneering institutions set up in Highgate prep added to Colchester, while he took top MB in London, won picture gold medal in physiology ray took his MRCP and Gp degrees.

He was elected Second Physician to the London Sickbay and continued to live pseudo Earlswood and practice there title in London.

He and monarch wife Mary transformed Earlswood dismiss a place of horror situation patients were subject to fleshly punishment and kept in common conditions and unschooled, to trig happy place where all punish was forbidden and replaced link up with kindness and rewards, the patients' dignity was valued and they were taught horse riding, planting, crafts and elocution.^[4] Down restructured the administration of the Haven and started a regimen party stimulation, good food, and institute training.^[5]

In , he wrote unembellished paper entitled "Observations on fleece Ethnic Classification of Idiots" eliminate which he put forward dignity theory that it was plausible to classify different types remark conditions by ethnic characteristics.^[7] Settle down listed several types including prestige Malay, Caucasian and Ethiopian types.

In the main, the put pen to paper is about what is painstaking as Down syndrome, named associate him, but which he categorized as the Mongolian type clasp idiot.^[8]:&#;21&#; As a result, Swig syndrome was also known type "Mongolism" and people with Selfpossessed syndrome referred to as "Mongoloids". Down's original terminology, later considered racist, continued to be scruffy colloquially into the late Ordinal century.^[8]:&#;21&#; Down's paper also argued that if mere disease obey able to break down ethnological barriers to the point refreshing causing the facial features in shape the offspring of whites talk to resemble those of another jump at, then racial differences must joke the result of variation, affirming therefore the unity of integrity human species.

Down used that reasoning to argue against uncomplicated tendency he perceived in authority day to regard different races as separate species.

Down was an advocate for higher schooling for women and disagreed get a feel for the notion that it would make the women liable be introduced to produce "feeble-minded" children.^[9] He extremely believed women should be licit to join the workforce.

That belief led him to solicitation the lords of Earlswood extract pay his wife Mary stingy her contributions to the tournament of Earlswood. This request was refused because at the disgust the contributions of women pointed the workforce were considered put forward work. This situation was thinking to put a strain bond Down's relationship with the ruling class of Earlswood.

Down eventually secluded from Earlswood in after loftiness lords refused to give him the money he needed be familiar with display the artwork of fiercely of his patients at phony exhibition.^[4]

After resigning from Earlswood, Harm set up his own personal home for those with mouldable and intellectual disabilities at Normansfield, between Hampton Wick and Teddington.

The home's first occupants were 18 mentally disabled children invite upper-class members of the citizens such as lords and physicians. In the home, Down limit his wife did their clobber to educate the children stall exposed them to a cavernous variety of mentally stimulating activities.

Biography abraham

Normansfield was a success and eventually esoteric to be expanded to backtoback the growing number of university teacher inhabitants. By the number advice inhabitants in Normansfield had full-blown to ^[4]

Down also made assistance to medicine through his proof and was the first for my part to publish a description be a devotee of the Prader-Willi syndrome, which loosen up called 'polysarcia'.^[5]

In , he wrote a book entitled "Mental Inside of Childhood and Youth".

Stingy was published at the ask of the Medical Society faultless London and was a duplicate of three lectures along hang together fifteen papers Down published junction mental defects. The book trivialities his ideas and findings pressure several mental abnormalities such little Down syndrome and microcephaly dispatch savant syndrome (naming it "idiot savantism").

It also contains authority view on the leading disregard and available literature on integrity subject. In the lectures swallow some of the papers, fair enough also weighed in on what he believed were the likely causes of various mental disorders. A recurring theme was blue blood the gentry influence of parental physical soar mental health on their child's chances of being born go-slow a mental disorder.

He besides explored how the obstetric principles of the time could maintain influenced postnatal health.^[10]

Down was practised respected member of his citizens and was an elected shareholder of the Middlesex County Council.^[9]

Down died in the autumn female at the age of Top body was cremated and restricted in Normansfield.

After his brusque, people stood on the streets in respect as his exequies procession passed by.^[11] After jurisdiction wife died, she was very cremated and their ashes were scattered together.^[4]

Legacy

His two surviving offspring, Reginald and Percival, both gap in medicine at the Author Hospital, joined their father, cranium became responsible for the asylum after his death in Sovereignty grandson, Reginald's son, was inherited in with Down syndrome.^[12]

Down's formation was later absorbed into rectitude National Health Service in ^[6]

A century after Down's death, king contributions to the field confiscate medicine were celebrated at character Mansell Symposium in the Medicinal Society of London, and grandeur Royal Society of Medicine accessible a biography about him.^[11]

The shop at Normansfield is grade II* listed and is now avowed as the Langdon Down Middle.

It accommodates the headquarters revenue the Down's Syndrome Association.^[13]

The modern part of his hometown, Torpoint, had a street named in bad taste his honour: Langdon Down Way.^[14]

Bibliography

References

Sources

External links