Tourette’s syndrome, also known as Tourette’s disorder or simply Tourette’s, is named after the French neurologist Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette. Dr. Tourette first described the syndrome in 1885 in a study of 9 patients who exhibited involuntary motor and vocal tics. Prior to Dr. Tourette’s study, these types of tics and behaviors were often misdiagnosed as manifestations of hysteria, possession, or insanity. Dr. Tourette’s careful observations and descriptions brought recognition that these symptoms constituted a definable medical condition.
Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette’s Early Life and Education
Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette (1857-1904) was born in the town of Saint-Gervais-les-Trois-Clochers in central France. He came from an educated, middle class family. As a child, Gilles de la Tourette suffered from a variety of neurological and behavioral problems, including chorea, tics, problems with attention and obsessions. However, he was recognized as highly intelligent and excelled in school.
Gilles de la Tourette studied medicine at the University of Poitiers, graduating in 1884 at the age of 27. He then completed his internship under the renowned French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. Charcot was known for his clinical teaching methods and his investigations into hysteria and hypnosis. Working under Charcot, Gilles de la Tourette developed strong skills in neurology and clinical observation.
Dr. Tourette’s Study on Maladie des Tics
In 1885, Dr. Gilles de la Tourette published the article “Étude sur une affection nerveuse caractérisée par de l’incoordination motrice accompagnée d’écholalie et de coprolalie” (Study of a nervous affliction characterized by motor incoordination with echolalia and coprolalia) in the medical journal Archives de Neurologie. This article described 9 patients, including 4 males and 5 females ranging in age from 4 to 14 years old, who exhibited symptoms of abnormal, repetitive motor and vocal tics. Dr. Tourette categorized their condition as “Maladie des Tics”, which translates to “disease of tics”.
The key symptoms described by Dr. Tourette included:
- Involuntary motor tics affecting the face, head and limbs
- Involuntary vocal tics like grunting, yelping, barking, echoing words
- Coprolalia – uttering obscene or unacceptable words or phrases
- Echolalia – repeating words or phrases spoken by others
- Obsessive behaviors
- Self-mutilating behaviors
Dr. Tourette differentiated these symptoms from other known medical conditions like chorea, hysteria, possession, insanity, epilepsy and disorders caused by parasitism. He recognized the symptoms as part of a definable syndrome with onset in childhood which persisted into adulthood. While the exact causes were unknown, he hypothesized some hereditary predisposition or damage during development was involved.
Reactions to Dr. Tourette’s Study
Initially, Dr. Tourette’s article received little attention from the medical community. At the time, his mentor Jean-Martin Charcot criticized the paper for suggesting a new disease entity when Charcot felt the symptoms could be explained by existing diagnoses like hysteria. However, within a few years Charcot changed his opinions and embraced Dr. Tourette’s observations. He even took credit for directing Dr. Tourette to study the disorder.
Over the next 15 years, other neurologists around Europe and North America began describing similar patients with the types of tics and behaviors meticulously outlined by Gilles de la Tourette. By the early 1900s, his paper was more widely recognized as the first to define and categorize the specific symptoms of the condition that would bear his name.
Later Career and Death
Following his groundbreaking 1885 publication, Gilles de la Tourette went on to have a successful career in neurology. He became a respected teacher, researcher and clinician around Paris. He published numerous articles on topics including hysteria, syphilis, epilepsy, hypnotism and neuropathology. However, Tourette syndrome remained his most influential contribution to the field of neurology.
Unfortunately, Gilles de la Tourette suffered declining health in his 40s. His condition was exacerbated by neurosyphilis, a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by untreated syphilis. He died in 1904 at the age of 46. While his career was relatively short, his pivotal work gained greater prominence after his death and he is now considered a pioneer in defining and studying Tourette’s syndrome.
How Tourette’s Syndrome Got Its Name
For several years after Dr. Gilles de la Tourette’s 1885 publication, a variety of terms were used to describe the condition, including “maladie des tics”, “Tic convulsif”, and “Gilles de la Tourette’s disease”. In the late 1800s, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot and his student Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette began using the term “Tourette’s disease” in their teaching and writings.
By the early 1900s, as Tourette’s seminal paper became more widely disseminated, his name became permanently associated with the disorder. In 1922, “Tourette’s syndrome” was introduced by the American physician and psychiatrist William Johnson. The term “syndrome” was meant to indicate the collection of symptoms rather than implying a specific underlying cause.
Since the 1920s, Tourette syndrome or Tourette’s disorder have become the standard and universally recognized terms used to describe the condition first identified by Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette over 130 years ago.
Major Milestones in Tourette Syndrome History
Here is a timeline of key events in the history and study of Tourette’s syndrome:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1825 | French physician Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard describes behavior he calls “maladie des tics” in the book “The Wild Boy of Aveyron” |
| 1857 | Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette born in France |
| 1884 | Gilles de la Tourette graduates from Poitiers medical school and becomes intern to Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris |
| 1885 | Gilles de la Tourette publishes his paper describing 9 patients with Tourette’s symptoms |
| 1887 | Jean-Martin Charcot begins using the term “Gilles de la Tourette’s illness” in his teachings |
| 1890s | Tourette’s paper gains wider recognition in medical community as similar patients are reported |
| 1904 | Gilles de la Tourette dies at age 46 |
| 1909 | First diagnosis of Tourette’s Syndrome in the United States |
| 1922 | “Tourette’s syndrome” terminology introduced |
| 1960s-70s | Tourette’s is recognized as neurological condition, research expands |
| 1980 | Tourette Syndrome Association founded to advance research and provide support |
| 2017 | “Georges Gilles de la Tourette” entry added to the Dictionary of French Biography |
Georges Gilles de la Tourette’s Lasting Impact on Neurology
While virtually unknown outside of France during his lifetime, Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette left an immense legacy through his pioneering work on Tourette’s syndrome. Today he is considered one of the founders of modern neurology and psychology.
Some key impacts of Dr. Tourette’s groundbreaking 1885 publication include:
- Providing the first clear clinical description of Tourette’s symptoms, allowing recognition as a distinct medical condition
- Differentiating Tourette’s from neurological disorders like chorea and epilepsy as well as from hysteria and insanity
- Hypothesizing a neurological basis and hereditary factor for Tourette’s
- Influencing other neurologists to describe patients with similar symptoms and behaviors
- Lending his name to the terminology of the disorder which is now eponymously known worldwide as Tourette’s syndrome
While many aspects of Tourette’s still remain a mystery today, Dr. Tourette’s foundational observations opened the door to over 130 years of ongoing research, classification and treatment advancements. His astute clinical skills and insights launched the study of this complex disorder. Ongoing work to understand the causes and improve care for Tourette’s patients owes a significant debt to the brief but pioneering career of Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette.
Conclusion
Tourette’s syndrome bears the name of French neurologist Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette in recognition of his groundbreaking 1885 work first categorizing Tourette’s as a definable medical condition. Despite criticism early in his career, Dr. Tourette’s observations were eventually embraced by experts like Jean-Martin Charcot and catalyzed further study and understanding of Tourette’s worldwide. While he died at a young age, Dr. Tourette’s clinical acumen and research talents established the foundation for the continued investigation and treatment of the disorder that would adopt his namesake.