Douglas McAlpine

Archibald Douglas McAlpine (19 August 1890 – 4 February 1981) was a British neurologist who pioneered research into multiple sclerosis. His book Multiple sclerosis, published first time in 1955, has since his death been published with the title McAlpine's Multiple Sclerosis, and has become the standard reference for multiple sclerosis researchers.[1] Dr McAlpine was the first one to suggest mercury poisoning as the probable cause for the Minamata disease.

Douglas McAlpine
Born
Archibald Douglas McAlpine

(1890-08-19)19 August 1890
Garscadden, Glasgow
Died4 February 1981(1981-02-04) (aged 90)
NationalityBritish
OccupationNeurologist
Known forMcAlpine's Multiple Sclerosis

Biography

McAlpine was born in Garscadden, Glasgow, on 19 August 1890,[2] the only son and eldest of three children of civil engineering contractor Sir Robert McAlpine, 1st Baronet (1847–1934) and his second wife Florence Margaret Palmer (1850–1910).[3]

He graduated in 1913 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Glasgow University. During World War I he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and then as a Surgeon Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, where he was mentioned in dispatches. After taking his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1923 and working in junior hospital posts, he was appointed neurologist to the Middlesex Hospital in 1924.[4] His students at Middlesex Hospital included renowned neurologist Paul Sandifer.[5]

McAlpine served as a Brigadier in the Royal Army Medical Corps as an adviser in neurology to the South East Asia Command during World War II, and was mentioned in dispatches again.[6]

In 1953, McAlpine was the leading light in the formation of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain. His book Multiple Sclerosis (1955) was recognised as the authoritative study of the disorder and was revised and updated in subsequent editions.[7]

In 1958, McAlpine was the first to suggest that the Minamata symptoms resembled those of organic mercury poisoning.[8][9]

After retiring from the National Health Service, he worked for the World Health Organization on demyelinating disorders. He was member and fellow of Royal College of Physicians, London.

Private life

McAlpine married Elizabeth Meg Sidebottom (d. 1941) in 1917. The marriage produced two children:

  • Robert Douglas Christopher McAlpine (born 14 June 1919, d.2008), a diplomat and managing director of Baring Brothers, 1969-79.
  • Florence Mary Scott (born 24 August 1922).

He secondly married Diana Christina Dunscombe Plummer (d. 1981), daughter of Bertram Plummer, on 3 July 1945. The marriage produced one child,

  • Alastair Bertram McAlpine (born 23 Apr 1946).

Works
  • —; Nigel Dean Compston; Charles Edward Lumsden (1955). Multiple Sclerosis. E. & S. Livingstone.
  • — (1965). Multiple Sclerosis: A Reappraisal by Douglas McAlpine. Livingstone.
  • —; Charles Edward Lumsden; Ernest D. Acheson (1968). Multiple Sclerosis: A Reappraisal. Livingstone. ISBN 9780443008252.
  • —; Ernest Donald Acheson; Charles Edward Lumsden (1972). Multiple Sclerosis: A Reappraisal [by] Douglas McAlpine, Charles E. Lumsden [and] E.D. Acheson. ISBN 978-0-443-00825-2.

References
  1. Dr D. A. Francis (11 November 2013). "McALPINE'S MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. Third edition". Brain.oxfordjournals.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  2. "Person Page 32648". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  3. John N. Walton (22 February 1999). "McAlpine, (Archibald) Douglas (1890–1981), neurologist". McAlpine, (Archibald) Douglas (1890–1981), neurologist : Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31431. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 25 November 2013. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. Professor of Neurology Miller School of Medicine University of Miami Miami Florida William A Sheremata; William A. Sheremata (15 November 2010). 100 Questions & Answers About Multiple Sclerosis. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-1-4496-1987-9. The great Dr. Douglas McAlpine achieved international recognition for his specialization in MS at the Middlesex Hospital in London. Among his many original observations, he was the first to recognize that physical trauma increased the risk of ...
  5. "Inspiring Physicians | RCP Museum".
  6. "Biography of Brigadier Douglas McAlpine (1890–1981), Great Britain". Generals.dk. 21 October 1942. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. "McAlpine's.multiple.sclerosis.4th.ed Ublog.tk". Scribd.com. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  8. Bernard Weiss1. "Why Methylmercury Remains a Conundrum 50 Years after Minamata". Toxsci.oxfordjournals.org. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  9. J. B. Cavanagh (11 November 2013). "The Pathology Of Minamata Disease". Brain.oxfordjournals.org. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
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