Joseph Jules François Félix Babinski ( pl, Józef Julian Franciszek Feliks Babiński; 17 November 1857 – 29 October 1932) was a
French-
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of neurology. He is best known for his 1896 description of the
Babinski sign
The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In healthy adults, the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward re ...
, a pathological
plantar reflex
The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In healthy adults, the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward r ...
indicative of
corticospinal tract
The corticospinal tract is a white matter motor pathway starting at the cerebral cortex that terminates on lower motor neurons and interneurons in the spinal cord, controlling movements of the limbs and trunk. There are more than one million neur ...
damage.
Life
Born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, Babinski was the son of a Polish military officer, Aleksander Babiński (1824–1889), and his wife Henryeta Weren Babińska (1819–1897),
[Joseph Babinski](_blank)
nndb.com who in 1848 fled
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
for
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
because of a Tsarist reign of terror instigated to stall Polish attempts at achieving independence and breaking the union between
Congress Poland
Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
and the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
Babinski received his medical degree from the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
in 1884. He came early to Professor
Charcot at Paris' ''
Salpêtrière'' Hospital and became his favorite student.
![Une leçon clinique à la Salpêtrière](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Une_le%C3%A7on_clinique_%C3%A0_la_Salp%C3%AAtri%C3%A8re.jpg)
Charcot's 1893 death left Babinski without support, and he subsequently never participated in qualifying academic competitions. Free of teaching duties, while working at the ''Hôpital de la Pitié'' he was left with ample time to devote himself to clinical
neurology
Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...
. He was a masterful clinician, minimally dependent on
neuropathological examinations and laboratory tests.
Babinski also took an interest in the
pathogenesis
Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...
of
hysteria and was the first to present acceptable
differential-diagnostic criteria for separating hysteria from
organic disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...
s, and coined the concept of ''
pithiatism''. In 1914, Babinski introduced the important concept of ‘anosognosia’ to name a disorder characterized by denial of illness or lack of awareness of disability.
[Marková I S and Berrios G E (2014): The construction of anosognosia: History and implications. ''Cortex'', 61: 9-17.]
In 1896, at a meeting of the ''Société de Biologie'', Babiński, in a 26-line presentation, delivered the first report on the ''"phenomène des orteils"'', i.e., that while the normal reflex of the sole of the foot is a
plantar reflex
The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In healthy adults, the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward r ...
of the toes, an injury to the
pyramidal tract
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 (''co ...
will show an isolated
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal c ...
flexion
Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...
of the great toe—"
Babinski's sign
The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In healthy adults, the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward r ...
."
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Babinski had charge of many traumatic neurology cases at the Pitié Hospitals.
He was
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of neurology at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
.
Babinski wrote over 200 papers on nervous disorders. With
Jules Froment
Jules Froment (Lyon, 1878 – 1946) was a French neurologist. He earned his doctorate in 1906 with a thesis on heart diseases associated with thyrotoxicosis. For much of his career, he was a professor at Lyon.
Life
Froment is remembered for his ...
he published ''Hysteropithiatisme en Neurologie de Guerre'' (1917), which was translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in 1918 by Sir H. Rolleston. Babiński published some of his works in
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
.
Babinski lived with his younger brother, Henri Babinski, a distinguished engineer and famous cook who, as "Ali Baba," published a classic
cookbook.
With Pierre Palau, Babinski, under the pseudonym "Olaf," wrote a disturbing play, ''Les détraquées'', which premiered at the Deux-Masques theater in 1921. The play involves the murder of a young pupil at a girls' school by the school's principal and her accomplice, a dance teacher.
André Breton
André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...
discusses the work in ''Nadja.''
[Jacques Philippon, Jacques Poirer ''Joseph Babinski: A Biography'' 2008, .]
Babinski died in the same year as two great Polish neurologists,
Edward Flatau
Edward Flatau (27 December 1868, Płock – 7 June 1932, Warsaw) was a Polish neurologist and psychiatrist. He was a co-founder of the modern Polish neurology, an authority on the physiology and pathology of meningitis, co-founder of medical jou ...
and
Samuel Goldflam
Samuel Wulfowicz Goldflam (15 February 1852 – 26 August 1932) was a Polish-JewishIsaac Lewin & Nathan Michael Gelber, ''A History of Polish Jewry during the revival of Poland'', Shengold Publishers (1990), p. 86 neurologist best known for his b ...
. In his last years he had suffered from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
.
Recognition
Babinski lived to see his achievements in French neurology internationally acclaimed. He was honored by
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1925 as honorary profesor of the
Wilno University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow a ...
, by the American Neurological Society, and by other foreign societies. He is also a patron of the three large neuro-psychatric hospitals in Poland (
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
,
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
,
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...
).
Associated eponyms
*''
Babinski's sign
The plantar reflex is a reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument. The reflex can take one of two forms. In healthy adults, the plantar reflex causes a downward response of the hallux (flexion). An upward r ...
'': A pathological reflex where the great toe extends in presence of an injury to the pyramidal tract.
*''
Anton–Babinski syndrome
Anton syndrome, also known as Anton's blindness and visual anosognosia, is a rare symptom of brain damage occurring in the occipital lobe. Those who have it are cortically blind, but affirm, often quite adamantly and in the face of clear evidenc ...
'': A condition characterized by denial of
blindness
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...
in lesions of the
occipital lobe
The occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The name derives from its position at the back of the head, from the Latin ''ob'', "behind", and ''caput'', "head".
The occipital lobe is the vi ...
.
Named with neurologist
Gabriel Anton
Gabriel Anton (28 July 1858 – 3 January 1933) was an Austrian neurology, neurologist and psychiatry, psychiatrist. He is primarily remembered for his studies of psychiatric conditions arising from damage to the cerebral cortex and the basal gang ...
.
*''Babinski–Fröhlich syndrome'' or ''
Adiposo-genital syndrome'': Condition characterized by feminine
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
and
sexual infantilism
Delayed puberty is when a person lacks or has incomplete development of specific sexual characteristics past the usual age of onset of puberty. The person may have no physical or hormone, hormonal signs that puberty has begun. In the United States, ...
in case of
pituitary tumour
Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland. Most pituitary tumors are benign, approximately 35% are invasive and just 0.1% to 0.2% are carcinomas.[pharmacologist
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemic ...]
Alfred Fröhlich
Alfred Fröhlich (August 15, 1871 – March 22, 1953) was an Austrian-American pharmacologist and neurologist born in Vienna.
Biography
Fröhlich was born in Vienna, into a Jewish family.Joseph Meites, ''Pioneers in Neuroendocrinology'', Spr ...
.
*''Babinski–Froment syndrome'': Vasomotor and trophic disorders, diffuse
amyotrophy
Amyotrophy is progressive wasting of muscle tissues. Muscle pain is also a symptom. It can occur in middle-aged males with type 2 diabetes. It also occurs with motor neuron disease.
Differential diagnosis
The following are considered differenti ...
and muscle contractions subsequently to traumatic tissue damage.
Named with neurologist
Jules Froment
Jules Froment (Lyon, 1878 – 1946) was a French neurologist. He earned his doctorate in 1906 with a thesis on heart diseases associated with thyrotoxicosis. For much of his career, he was a professor at Lyon.
Life
Froment is remembered for his ...
.
*''Babinski–Jarkowski rule'': For localization of a medullary lesion.
Named with neurologist
Jean Jarkowski.
*''
Babinski–Nageotte syndrome'': Syndrome seen in unilateral bulbar lesions of the medullobulbar transitional region.
Named with neurologist
Jean Nageotte.
*''Babinski–Vaquez syndrome'':
Tabes dorsalis
Tabes dorsalis is a late consequence of neurosyphilis, characterized by the slow degeneration (specifically, demyelination) of the neural tracts primarily in the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord (nerve root). These patients have lancinating n ...
associated with cardiac and arterial pathology as late manifestation of
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
.
Named with hematologist
Louis Henri Vaquez.
*''Babinski–Weil test'': Test for demonstration of a laterodeviation in case of vestibular disorders.
Named with neurologist
Mathieu-Pierre Weil.
See also
*
A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière
Footnotes
External links
Biography of Joseph Babinski from whonamedit.com
Joseph Jules François Félix Babinski (1857–1932)– short biography by Janusz H. Skalski published in the
Journal of Neurology
The ''Journal of Neurology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on diseases of the nervous system
In biology, the nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory inform ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babinski, Jozeph
1857 births
1932 deaths
French neuroscientists
French people of Polish descent
History of neuroscience
Scientists from Paris