Biomaterial Database

Henry Meige: The man and his understanding of dystonia, at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. 2022

M-H Marion

London BTX Centre, 280 King's road, SW3 5AW London, UK. Electronic address: dr.mhmarion@londonbtxcentre.co.uk.

BACKGROUND Henry Meige (1866-1940), a French neurologist, the pupil of Charcot, is remembered for the eponym, the Meige syndrome, describing the clinical picture of craniocervical dystonia. This historical review highlights the controversies from his essay on "Le Juif Errant" (the Wandering Jew), and the evolution of his understanding of the movement disorders of the face and neck at the time of the encephalitis lethargica. RESULTS His thesis reported 5 patients from Eastern Europe, presenting with functional neurological disorders following traumatic life experiences. He wrote with Feindel the first book on movement disorders "Les tics et leur traitement". He pioneered the concept of focal dystonia and distinguished the facial median spasm as a dystonic movement disorder of the face. He highlighted the co-existence of psychopathology and the influence of the mental on tics and dystonia. He coined with Brissaud and Feindel the term "geste antagoniste" in cervical dystonia. He emphasized the importance of self-management and psycho-motor retraining for focal dystonia. CONCLUSIONS Meige made an invaluable contribution to our understanding of movement disorders, during his long medical career. The eponym Meige syndrome should be retained to describe an individual clinical entity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008538	Meige Syndrome	A syndrome characterized by orofacial DYSTONIA; including BLEPHAROSPASM; forceful jaw opening; lip retraction; platysma muscle spasm; and tongue protrusion. It primarily affects older adults, with an incidence peak in the seventh decade of life. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p108)	Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia,Brueghel Syndrome,Idiopathic Orofacial Dyskinesia,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dyskinesia,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome, Idiopathic,Idiopathic Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome,Syndrome, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia,Blepharospasm Oromandibular Dyskinesia,Blepharospasm Oromandibular Dystonia,Blepharospasm Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome,Blepharospasm Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome, Idiopathic,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dyskinesias,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonia Syndromes,Blepharospasm-Oromandibular Dystonias,Dyskinesia, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Dyskinesia, Idiopathic Orofacial,Dyskinesias, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Dyskinesias, Idiopathic Orofacial,Dystonia Syndrome, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Dystonia Syndromes, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Dystonia, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Dystonias, Blepharospasm-Oromandibular,Idiopathic Blepharospasm Oromandibular Dystonia Syndrome,Idiopathic Orofacial Dyskinesias,Orofacial Dyskinesia, Idiopathic,Orofacial Dyskinesias, Idiopathic
D009069	Movement Disorders	Syndromes which feature DYSKINESIAS as a cardinal manifestation of the disease process. Included in this category are degenerative, hereditary, post-infectious, medication-induced, post-inflammatory, and post-traumatic conditions.	Dyskinesia Syndromes,Etat Marbre,Status Marmoratus,Movement Disorder Syndromes,Dyskinesia Syndrome,Movement Disorder,Movement Disorder Syndrome
D003291	Conversion Disorder	A disorder whose predominant feature is a loss or alteration in physical functioning that suggests a physical disorder but that is actually a direct expression of a psychological conflict or need.	Astasia-Abasia,Conversion Neurosis,Functional Movement Disorder,Functional Neurological Disorder,Hysteria, Conversion,Conversion Reaction,Astasia Abasia,Conversion Disorders,Conversion Hysteria,Conversion Neuroses,Disorder, Functional Movement,Disorder, Functional Neurological,Functional Movement Disorders,Functional Neurological Disorders,Movement Disorder, Functional,Movement Disorders, Functional,Neurological Disorder, Functional,Neurological Disorders, Functional,Neuroses, Conversion,Neurosis, Conversion
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014103	Torticollis	A symptom, not a disease, of a twisted neck. In most instances, the head is tipped toward one side and the chin rotated toward the other. The involuntary muscle contractions in the neck region of patients with torticollis can be due to congenital defects, trauma, inflammation, tumors, and neurological or other factors.	Cervical Dystonia,Spasmodic Torticollis,Wryneck,Torticollis, Intermittent,Torticollis, Psychogenic,Cervical Dystonias,Dystonia, Cervical,Dystonias, Cervical,Intermittent Torticollis,Psychogenic Torticollis,Torticollis, Spasmodic
D020323	Tics	Habitual, repeated, rapid contraction of certain muscles, resulting in stereotyped individualized actions that can be voluntarily suppressed for only brief periods. They often involve the face, vocal cords, neck, and less often the extremities. Examples include repetitive throat clearing, vocalizations, sniffing, pursing the lips, and excessive blinking. Tics tend to be aggravated by emotional stress. When frequent they may interfere with speech and INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS. Conditions which feature frequent and prominent tics as a primary manifestation of disease are referred to as TIC DISORDERS. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp109-10)	Habit Spasm,Tic, Motor,Tic, Vocal,Habit Chorea,Habituation Spasm,Tic,Tic, Gestural,Tic, Transient,Chorea, Habit,Choreas, Habit,Gestural Tic,Gestural Tics,Habit Choreas,Habit Spasms,Habituation Spasms,Motor Tic,Motor Tics,Spasm, Habit,Spasm, Habituation,Spasms, Habit,Spasms, Habituation,Tics, Gestural,Tics, Motor,Tics, Transient,Tics, Vocal,Transient Tic,Transient Tics,Vocal Tic,Vocal Tics