English born, English bred, forgotten by the English and the world at large, such was the fate of James Parkinson
– J. G. Rowntree, 1912

James Parkinson was the son of John Parkinson, an apothecary and surgeon practicing in Hoxton Square, London. Where James studied is not known, but in 1784 his name appeared on a list of surgeons approved by the Corporation of London. On May 21, 1783, he married Mary Dale of Hoxton Square; they had six children. James eventually succeeded his father in his practice in Hoxton Square.

An outspoken critic of the Pitt-government, Parkinson was a strong advocate of the under-privileged and probably also of the French Revolution. Parkinson’s early career was overshadowed by his involvement in a variety of social and revolutionary causes. He published numerous pamphletes under the pen-name of Old Hubert.

Although Parkinson’s disease is one of the best known medical eponyms, Parkinson himself received little attention from his English-speaking colleagues, until an article written by the American J. G. Rowntree in 1912 appeared in volume 23 of the Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, titled: “English born, English bred, forgotten by the English and the world at large, such was the fate of James Parkinson”.

Article excerpted from whonamedit.com

Picture from Wikipedia

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