John Langdon Down

John Langdon Haydon Down (18 November 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician best known for his description of the genetic condition Down's syndrome (also known as Down syndrome), which he originally classified in 1862. He is also noted for his work in social medicine and as a pioneer in the care of mentally disabled patients. His father was originally from Derry in Ireland, and his mother, Hannah Haydon, from North Devon. His father was descended from an Irish family, his great-great-grandfather having been the Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. John Down went to local schools including the Devonport Classical and Mathematical School.

At 14 he was apprenticed to his father, the village apothecary at Anthony St Jacob's. The vicar gave him a present of Arnott's Physics which made him determined to take up a scientific career. In 1846 he had a chance encounter with a girl who presented with what would later be called Down syndrome. This sparked his interest in becoming a doctor. There he had a career distinguished by honours and gold medals and he qualified in 1856 at the Apothecaries Hall and the Royal College of Surgeons. In order to save money while in medical school, he stayed with his sister and her husband. While living with his sister, he met her sister-in-law, Mary Crellin, whom he later married in 1860.

Later career Down decided to transform Earlswood, a large institution which had its origins in two pioneering institutions set up in Highgate and Colchester, while he took his MB in London, won the gold medal in physiology and took his MRCP and MD degrees. He was elected Assistant Physician to the London Hospital and continued to live at Earlswood and practice there and in London.

He and his wife Mary transformed Earlswood from a place of horror where patients were subject to corporal punishment and kept in dirty conditions and unschooled, to a happy place where all punishment was forbidden and replaced with kindness and rewards, the patients' dignity was valued and they were taught horse riding, gardening, crafts and elocution. Down restructured the administration of the Asylum and started a regimen of stimulation, good food, and occupational training. He listed several types including the Malay, Caucasian and Ethiopian types. In the main, the paper is about what is known as Down syndrome, named after him, but which he classified as the Mongolian type of idiot. As a result, Down syndrome was also known as "Mongolism" and people with Down syndrome referred to as "Mongoloids". Down's original terminology, later deemed racist, continued to be used colloquially into the late 20th century. He also believed women should be allowed to join the workforce. This belief led him to petition the lords of Earlswood to pay his wife Mary for her contributions to the running of Earlswood. This request was refused because at the time the contributions of women in the workforce were considered volunteer work. This situation was thought to put a strain on Down's relationship with the lords of Earlswood. Down eventually retired from Earlswood in 1868 after the lords refused to give him the money he needed to display the artwork of some of his patients at an exhibition.

Down was a respected member of his community and was an elected member of the Middlesex County Council. After his wife died, she was also cremated and their ashes were scattered together.

Down's institution was later absorbed into the National Health Service in 1952.

The newest part of his hometown, Torpoint, had a street named in his honour: Langdon Down Way.