He was born into the medical tradition, as his father John Parkinson was an apothecary and surgeon in Hoxton for many years. His father had an enduring influence on him as a mentor, as James greatly valued the knowledge on anatomy that his father emphasized.
Parkinson studied at the London Hospital Medical College for six months in1776 as one of the school’s earliest medical students. He became an apprenticeship with his father which lasted 6 years before received his diploma from the Royal College of Surgeon.
James Parkinson made significant contributions to the medical literature beyond the Essay on the Shaking Palsy. These included books, monographs, and cases studies written for physicians and the lay public, some of which are worth mentioning.
He published in 1799 two editions of a medical text titled Medical Admonitions Addressed to Families Respecting the Practice of Domestic Medicine and the Prescription of Health.
In this book, James had tabulated the symptoms of diseases and the extent of risk of each illness in order for layperson to understand the distinction of one disease from another.
He became a distinguished physician and the first recipient of the honorary gold medal of the Royal College of Surgeon in1822.
James Parkinson died from stroke at the age of 69 on December 21, 1824, at No. 3 Pleasant Row, Kingsland Road, Hoxton.
James Parkinson
