Article

It is well-established that Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne de Boulogne
(1806-1875), and Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) were the founding fathers of
Parisian and French neurology during the second half of the 19th century,
although much more is known about Charcot than about his "master" Duchenne. In
Britain, Thomas Clifford Allbutt (1836-1925) was Leeds' most distinguished
physician of the 19th century, eventually becoming Regius Professor of Physic at
Cambridge. Allbutt's 1860-1861 year of postgraduate study in Paris and his
friendship with Duchenne profoundly influenced his own contributions to nervous
system and mental diseases, partly in collaboration with his colleague James
Crichton-Browne (1840-1938) at the nearby West Riding Lunatic Asylum in
Wakefield, Yorkshire. The present report briefly recalls the careers of Duchenne
and Allbutt, and also presents a unique account by Allbutt of Duchenne in action
at the height of his powers, investigating and defining the previously uncharted
field of neuromuscular diseases with the aid of his localized electrization
techniques. This account is discussed in relation to: Duchenne's personality and
pioneering neurological achievements; the origins of French neurology; and the
development of Anglo-French neurological relationships during the 19th century.
Interestingly, both Duchenne and Crichton-Browne separately made important and
much-appreciated contributions to the third major book by Charles Darwin
(1809-1882), The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, published in
1872.
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