Overlooked and Forgotten: John Hunter and Norman Royle and their Work on an Operative Treatment for Spastic Paralysis

Abstract

Abstract:During the 1920s John Hunter and Norman Royle, two Australian medical graduates, pioneered the work on lumbar sympathectomy as a treatment for spastic paralysis. Initially, the operation brought remarkable results and their work received worldwide acclaim before Hunter died in 1924. In due course however, the operation as a remedy for spastic paralysis was rejected. Based on the medical literature of the time this article offers a textual analysis of Hunter and Royle's innovative research and in doing so explains why and how they developed this treatment, the response to it and why their work and Royle, in particular, are generally overlooked and forgotten. Finally, it maintains that their work was important as it left an inspiring legacy and is thereby worthy of historical recognition.