Matthew retired not too long ago. Several years ago, he discovered that it became difficult for him to move his hand, and a neurologist came to a tragic con­clusion: “You have Parkinson’s disease in its initial stages. But don’t be upset — we will treat it.” From that time on, Matthew read constantly to learn more about his illness. Since he was interested in history, the first thing he discovered was the person after whom the disease was named.

James Parkinson was born on April 11, 1755, in East London to the family of surgeon John Parkinson. He followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a doctor. He was a talented practitioner, saved many peo­ple’s lives, and even became one of the first members of the Royal Humane Society (a charitable organization which provid­ed first aid to those who were affected by disasters).

Parkinson was observant and no­ticed many things. This helped him in his scientific research: in 1817, Whit­tingham and Rowland published his work, “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy,” in which he summarised six clinical cases.