[Georges Gilles of Tourette, pioneer of gait analysis in the nervous system diseases].
Georges Gilles de la Tourette's contribution to neurology goes beyond the description of the neurological disorder named after him. On December 28, 1885, he defended his doctoral thesis devoted to "gait in the diseases of the nervous system, studied by the method of imprints". In collaboration with Albert Londe, he worked for two years in Charcot's department on "a simple method applicable to both healthy and unhealthy patients", establishing the scientific and modern basis of functional exploration of human gait. The purpose was to "record the modifications of the gait and to fix them permanently, using suitable devises to guarantee not only rigorous comparison, but also to prevent observers, making use of the same method, from disputing or canceling the results completely independent of the experimenter himself". Georges Gilles de la Tourette defined the various characteristic parameters and provided the normal reference values in males and females, determining the physiological asymmetry of steps. He described spastic gait, shaking palsy, and locomotor ataxia. He distinguished between disorders of nervous control and related joint diseases. He also classified gait disorders occurring during hemiplegia. Modern development of kinetic, kinematic and biomechanical studies is a good illustration of the current relevancy of Gilles de la Tourette's contribution.
André
J M
JM
Institut Régional de Réadaptation, Nancy. jmandre@irr.u-nancy.fr
Paysant
J
J
Martinet
N
N
Beis
J M
JM
Beyaert
C
C
D005602:France; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000266:history