The Infrequent Blinking Sign in Parkinson's Disease remains a lasting clinical legacy attributed to Abraham Myerson, an American physician whose career spanned neurology, psychiatry, and pathology. Balancing academic appointments at Harvard and Tufts with extensive clinical service in Massachusetts state hospitals, he navigated the shifting paradigms of twentieth-century mental healthcare through research, forensic practice, and significant scholarly publication.
Formative Years and Medical Training
Born in Jonava in 1881, Myerson relocated to the United States with his family, settling in New Britain, Connecticut, before moving to Boston in 1892. After graduating from high school in 1898, he spent seven years in various jobs to fund his medical education. He graduated with an M.D. in 1908, having studied under Morton Prince, whose chair in neurology Myerson would later occupy.
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Myerson held diverse roles across several major institutions. Following early work at Boston City Hospital and a residency in St. Louis, he joined the staff at Boston Psychopathic Hospital in 1912. His career advanced through positions at Taunton State Hospital and Boston State Hospital, where he became director of research in 1927. The Rockefeller Foundation funded a laboratory for his work in 1933. By 1935, he was professor of clinical psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and served as the chair of neurology at Tufts from 1921 to 1940, attaining professor emeritus status thereafter.
Research and Eugenics Advocacy
During an era when the eugenics movement gained significant institutional traction, Myerson maintained a skeptical stance regarding the involuntary sterilization of those identified as feeble-minded or mentally ill. His 1925 publication, The Inheritance of Mental Disease, utilized data from the Taunton State Hospital to demonstrate that only ten percent of patients possessed a relative who had been institutionalized since 1854. This finding underscored his belief that while heredity played a part, social environment functioned as a critical determinant in psychiatric health.
Forensic Work and Therapeutic Innovation
As the Massachusetts state forensic examiner for eight years, Myerson participated in the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. His therapeutic approach favored physiological interventions, including the promotion of electric shock therapy and the introduction of a "total push" method for treating chronic schizophrenia. Though he followed the rise of psychoanalytic practices with interest, he ultimately opposed the movement. Additionally, he mentored Victor Folke Nelson, author of Prison Days and Nights, and contributed the introduction to the text.
Fast facts
- Born: 1881, Jonava
- Died: 1948
- Education: Tufts Medical School, M.D. 1908
- Key Appointment: Chair of Neurology, Tufts University (1921–1940)
- Clinical Role: Massachusetts state forensic examiner
- Notable Work: The Inheritance of Mental Disease (1925)
- Legacy: Infrequent Blinking Sign in Parkinson's Disease
Questions readers ask
Did Abraham Myerson support the eugenics movement?
No. He publicly opposed involuntary sterilization, arguing through his research that heredity was only one of several factors influencing mental disease.
What was the 'total push' method?
It was a treatment approach introduced by Myerson for chronic schizophrenia patients to combat regressive and iatrogenic patterns observed in state mental hospitals.
Achievements
- Held posts at Harvard University, Tufts University and Saint Louis University
