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John Hughlings JacksonEnglish neurologist
Date of Birth: 04.04.1835
Country:  Great Britain |
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Biography of John Hughlings Jackson
John Hughlings Jackson, an English neurologist, was born in Providence Green, Green Hammerton, near Harrogate, Yorkshire. He was the youngest son of farmer Samuel Jackson and his wife Sarah Hughlings. Unfortunately, John's mother passed away just one year after his birth. He had three brothers, who later migrated to New Zealand, and one sister, who married a doctor.
Education and Career
John Jackson received his education in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. He continued his studies at the York Medical and Surgical School. After completing his education, Jackson became a resident physician at the York Dispensary. In 1859, he returned to London and became an assistant physician in 1862 and a full physician in 1869 at the National Hospital for Paralysis and Epilepsy. In 1874, Jackson joined the staff of the London Hospital, where he gained a reputation as a talented neurologist. In 1878, he became a fellow of the Royal Society.
Contributions and Legacy
John Hughlings Jackson was a renowned and somewhat unconventional thinker. His wide range of interests included the theory of diagnosis and understanding of epilepsy in all its forms and manifestations. He is particularly noted for his work on a specific form of epilepsy, which was later named after him. Even today, Jackson's works remain the most reliable sources of information on this particular type of epilepsy.
While medicine was not his only interest, Jackson actively pursued various scientific disciplines. In 1859, he contemplated leaving medicine to pursue philosophy. His philosophical leanings influenced his medical research, particularly his series of studies on the evolutionary organization of the nervous system. Jackson identified three levels within the nervous system: spinal cord centers, motor areas of the cerebral cortex, and prefrontal cortex. Movements become more complex as one ascends through these levels, and sometimes, centers compete, resulting in unwanted symptoms.
It is important to note that Jackson did not have access to modern sophisticated techniques for studying the nervous system. His observations and logic formed the basis of his research. While his methodology occasionally had its flaws, as Francis Walshe remarked in 1943, "even after removing all unnecessary or outdated information, we still have a wealth of extremely important physiological discoveries that cannot be ignored." Walshe was one of Jackson's most prominent followers, and other neurologists, such as Otfrid Foerster, cited and credited Jackson's work on the motor areas of the cerebral cortex.
John Hughlings Jackson passed away in London on October 7, 1911, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery. He left a lasting legacy as an exceptional and influential writer, with his works spanning a wide range of subjects beyond medicine. His contributions to the understanding of epilepsy and the organization of the nervous system continue to be highly regarded in the field of neurology.