author
George Huntington
1835–1916
Remembered for the clear, early description of the inherited disorder that now bears his name, this Long Island physician made a lasting mark on medical history while still in his early twenties.
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About the author
Born on April 9, 1850, George Huntington was an American physician from East Hampton, New York, and part of a family with a long medical tradition. His father and grandfather were also doctors, and that background shaped the careful eye he later brought to patients and case histories.
He is best known for his 1872 paper On Chorea, written soon after he received his medical degree from Columbia University. In that paper, he gave the classic clinical description of the hereditary illness now called Huntington's disease, noting its inherited pattern and progressive course with unusual clarity for the time.
Although he published very little, his name became permanently linked with one of the most important descriptions in neurology. He died on March 3, 1916, but his concise and observant work continues to be remembered as a landmark in medicine.