Georges Gilles de la Tourette in the History of Tics

After a year spent working for Jean-Martin Charcot, Georges Gilles de la Tourette published an article in 1885 that would become a seminal work, reporting on nine cases of tic disease. However, only four observations meet the current criteria of the eponym, including echolalia and coprolalia, the latter term coined by Gilles de la Tourette. In 1886, Charcot asked Georges Guinon to complete the clinical picture by adding obsessional disturbances, temporary control of tics, and the premonitory sensation leading to their occurrence. In 1888, Charcot presided over the jury for Grégoire Breitman’s thesis, then in 1890 for Jacques Catrou’s thesis; both theses covered Gilles de la Tourette disease and were prepared with the namesake’s help. Gilles de la Tourette put the finishing touch on the disease’s description in 1900, which implicitly credited Guinon with completing the clinical picture and naming convulsive tic disease. That said, Gilles de la Tourette did not give much importance to his own nosographical contribution to neurology. After having been nearly forgotten, it was not until the 1960s that this disease was definitively resurrected and validated by Arthur and Elaine Shapiro under the name of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. This was a testament to its significant prevalence and its treatment possibilities.