Patrick David Wall
Encyclopedia
Patrick David "Pat" Wall (25 April 1925 – 8 August 2001) was a leading British neuroscientist described as 'the world's leading expert on pain' and best known for the Gate control theory of pain.
on 25 April 1925 to Thomas Wall, the director of education for Middlesex
, and his wife Ruth Cresswell. He was educated at St Paul's School in London
. He matriculated to Oxford University, studying medicine at Christ Church
, where he became interested in pain. He published his first two papers, in the prominent science journals Brain
and Nature
, at the age of 21. While at Oxford he had also helped found the British Medical Students' Journal, partially to help campaign for the introduction of the NHS. He graduated in 1948, by which time he had published three papers in prominent science journals. After graduating, he spent a short time treating holocaust survivors and refugees in mainland Europe, and then moved to the United States
where he took up a position as an instructor at the Yale School of Medicine
investigating the use of lobotomies as a method of controlling depression.
. He moved again in 1953 to serve as an instructor at Harvard University
, and again in 1957 to work as an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He was promoted to full professor in 1960, and while at the Institute met Ronald Melzack
, who was to become a long-time collaborator. At Melzack's urging they wrote a paper on the Gate control theory of pain and published it in Brain in 1962; according to Wall it was read by around three people. After expanding and rewriting the article they republished it as Pain Mechanisms: a new theory in Science in 1965 where it drew wider attention, with mostly negative comments. The paper was looked at in a new light after Wall collaborated with Bill Sweet to produce the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator
, developed along the lines of the theory. The effective working of the device validated Wall and Melzack's paper, and Wall gained acclaim as a leading neuroscientist. In 1965 he published TRIO - The Revolting Intellectuals' Organisation, a thriller novel. In 1973 he acted as the scientific study officer for the launch of the International Association for the Study of Pain
, and subsequently acted as the first editor of its medical journal, Pain.
, under JZ Young
. While there he was given the nickname of "Mr. Pat". Thanks to his reputation as a neuroscientist the laboratories at UCL attracted a large number of students and researchers, and his lectures were well-received by both students and fellow lecturers. In 1972 he travelled to Jerusalem, and subsequently held a chair at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, where he taught for several months a year.
In 1982 he published The Challenge of Pain with Melzack followed by a second collaboration a year later with The Textbook of Pain, which is currently in its fourth edition. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Physicians in 1984 and the Royal Society
in 1989; by this point he had been repeatedly short-listed for a Nobel Prize
. His left-wing views and the enemies that came with them were an apparent reason for his overdue election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, along with the society's reluctance to elect medical officials. He was awarded the Sherrington Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine
in 1988, and in 1992 he was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Anaesthesiologists. He retired the same year and continued experimental research at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. In 1999 he was awarded the Royal Medal
'in recognition of his fundamental contributions to our knowledge of the somatosensory system and, in particular, pain mechanisms'.
. After treatment he went into remission, which held for five years; the cancer returned in 2001, and after a kidney operation on 2 August he discharged himself on 8 August so he could die at home. While suffering from cancer he had published the book Pain: The Science of Suffering. His body was left for medical dissection.
Early life and academia
Wall was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
on 25 April 1925 to Thomas Wall, the director of education for Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, and his wife Ruth Cresswell. He was educated at St Paul's School in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He matriculated to Oxford University, studying medicine at Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he became interested in pain. He published his first two papers, in the prominent science journals Brain
Brain (journal)
Brain is a neurological journal published by Oxford University Press. It was edited by John Newsom-Davis from 1997 to 2004. Under his editorship it became one of the first scientific journals to go online. Since 2004 the journal is edited by Alastair Compston, Professor and Head of Department of...
and Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, at the age of 21. While at Oxford he had also helped found the British Medical Students' Journal, partially to help campaign for the introduction of the NHS. He graduated in 1948, by which time he had published three papers in prominent science journals. After graduating, he spent a short time treating holocaust survivors and refugees in mainland Europe, and then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he took up a position as an instructor at the Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
investigating the use of lobotomies as a method of controlling depression.
Work in the United States
He remained as an instructor until 1950, when he was offered a position as an assistant professor at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He moved again in 1953 to serve as an instructor at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and again in 1957 to work as an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He was promoted to full professor in 1960, and while at the Institute met Ronald Melzack
Ronald Melzack
Ronald Melzack, is a Canadian psychologist.After studying for his Ph.D. in 1954 with D. O. Hebb at McGill University in Montreal, he began to work with patients who suffered from "phantom limb" pain — people who feel pain in an arm or leg that has been removed...
, who was to become a long-time collaborator. At Melzack's urging they wrote a paper on the Gate control theory of pain and published it in Brain in 1962; according to Wall it was read by around three people. After expanding and rewriting the article they republished it as Pain Mechanisms: a new theory in Science in 1965 where it drew wider attention, with mostly negative comments. The paper was looked at in a new light after Wall collaborated with Bill Sweet to produce the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes...
, developed along the lines of the theory. The effective working of the device validated Wall and Melzack's paper, and Wall gained acclaim as a leading neuroscientist. In 1965 he published TRIO - The Revolting Intellectuals' Organisation, a thriller novel. In 1973 he acted as the scientific study officer for the launch of the International Association for the Study of Pain
International Association for the Study of Pain
The International Association for the Study of Pain is an international professional organization promoting research, education and policies for the knowledge and management of pain. The IASP was founded in 1973, following the Seattle-Issaquah conference, under the leadership of John Bonica. Its...
, and subsequently acted as the first editor of its medical journal, Pain.
Return to Britain
In 1967 he returned to Britain due to threats from the CIA that refusal to disclose the political affiliations of his research group could jeopardise his funding, and took up a position as Professor of Anatomy at University College LondonUniversity College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, under JZ Young
John Zachary Young
John Zachary Young FRS , generally known as "JZ" or "JZY", was an English zoologist and neurophysiologist, described as "one of the most influential biologists of the 20th century .....
. While there he was given the nickname of "Mr. Pat". Thanks to his reputation as a neuroscientist the laboratories at UCL attracted a large number of students and researchers, and his lectures were well-received by both students and fellow lecturers. In 1972 he travelled to Jerusalem, and subsequently held a chair at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, where he taught for several months a year.
In 1982 he published The Challenge of Pain with Melzack followed by a second collaboration a year later with The Textbook of Pain, which is currently in its fourth edition. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Physicians in 1984 and the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1989; by this point he had been repeatedly short-listed for a Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
. His left-wing views and the enemies that came with them were an apparent reason for his overdue election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, along with the society's reluctance to elect medical officials. He was awarded the Sherrington Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
in 1988, and in 1992 he was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Anaesthesiologists. He retired the same year and continued experimental research at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. In 1999 he was awarded the Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
'in recognition of his fundamental contributions to our knowledge of the somatosensory system and, in particular, pain mechanisms'.
Death
In 1996 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer after collapsing while on holiday in CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. After treatment he went into remission, which held for five years; the cancer returned in 2001, and after a kidney operation on 2 August he discharged himself on 8 August so he could die at home. While suffering from cancer he had published the book Pain: The Science of Suffering. His body was left for medical dissection.