Henri Meige (11 February 1866 – 29 September 1940) was a French neurologist born in

Moulins-sur-Allier Moulins (; oc, Molins) is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the river Allier. Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum and The National Center of Costum ...

. He characterized Meige's syndrome in 1910. He studied medicine in Paris under Jean Charcot (1825–1893), earning his doctorate in 1893. Afterwards he worked at the Salpêtrière and the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

, where in the 1920s he was appointed professor. With

Édouard Brissaud Édouard Brissaud (15 April 1852, Besançon – 20 December 1909) was a French physician and pathologist. He was taught by Jean Martin Charcot at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. He had interests in a number of medical disciplines including motion di ...

(1852–1909) he researched skeletal changes in

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other ...

, concluding that

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

in adolescents is fundamentally the same disease as acromegaly in adults. During World War I he conducted studies of

neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, is a general term describing disease affecting the peripheral nerves, meaning nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord. Damage to peripheral nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland, or o ...

with Pierre Marie (1853–1940). Meige is best known for his work with extrapyramidal lesions. In 1902, with Eugene Feindel, he published an important work on motor disturbances,

blepharospasm Blepharospasm is any abnormal contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The condition should be distinguished from the more common, and milder, involuntary quivering of an eyelid, known as myokymia, or fasciculation. In most cases, blepharosp ...

s and

tics A tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups.American Psychiatric Association (2000)DSM-IV-TR: Tourette's Disorder.''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', 4th ed., ...

. In contrast to Charcot, Meige asserted that disturbances of the extrapyramidal system were manifestations of pathological changes outside the

pyramidal system The pyramidal tracts include both the corticobulbar tract and the corticospinal tract. These are aggregations of efferent nerve fibers from the upper motor neurons that travel from the cerebral cortex and terminate either in the brainstem (''cort ...

. He was editor of the journals ''Nouvelle iconographie de la Salpêtrière'' and ''Schriftleiter of the Revue Neurologique''.

Publications

* ''Etude sur certains névropathes Voyageurs''. Paris, 1893. * ''Leçons cliniques sur les maladies mentales et nerveuses : (Salpétriére, 1887-1894)'', 1895; (by

Jules Séglas Jules Séglas (May 31, 1856 – 1939) was a French psychiatrist who practiced medicine at the Bicêtre and Salpêtrière Hospitals in Paris. Early in his career, he was an assistant to famed neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893). Ségla ...

, collected and published by Henry Meige). * ''Les tics Traitement et leur''. Paris, 1902; (with Eugene Feindel) * ''Tics''. Paris, 1905.Worldcat titles
Leçons cliniques sur les maladies mentales et nerveuses...

References

1866 births 1940 deaths French neurologists People from Allier {{France-med-bio-stub