When Was Tourettes Syndrome Discovered?

Vague accounts of people suffering with the disease go much farther back in time. A 15th century book named ‘Malleus maleficarum’ mentions a priest suffering from the disease but the authors call the disease the work of the devil. It was, however, a French neurologist Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who studied the disease methodically for the first time. He observed patients suffering with the disease and presented his findings in his book ‘Étude sur une affection nerveuse’ in 1885. The disorder is also known as ‘Tourette syndrome’ or ‘GTS’ or ‘TS’ or ‘Gilles de la Tourette syndrome’.

It is still not known what causes ‘Tourettes Syndrome’ but the evidence suggests that it is an inherited disorder and the men are three to four times more susceptible to the disease than women. Symptoms include involuntary body movements. People suffering from this disorder feel an urge to tic in order to become normal again. Tic can often turn out be worse and more intense if a person is in a state of excitement or anxiety. For example, tight collar shirts increase the probability of ‘neck tics’.
It was thought to be a rare disease but it has been established that it is not as rare as it was supposed to be. Between one to ten children per thousand are affected with this disorder. Most of the cases, however, are mild forms of Tourettes’ syndrome. The disease is not found to affect life expectancy or intelligence.

Normally, the people suffering from the disease decide not to go for any medical treatment and prefer to avoid the circumstances which may trigger a stroke of tics. The reason of not consulting or going under medication is that there is no medication available which can completely eliminate the disorder. In addition, there is a fear of side-effects if the drugs are not doing their job. Drugs employed to treat patients suffering from hypertension can be used to dampen down the effects of tics.

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