Thomas Laycock (physiologist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Laycock was an English neurophysiologist who was a native of York
.
Among medical historians, he is best known for his influence on the young John Hughlings Jackson
and the psychiatrist James Crichton-Browne
.
Laycock was the son of a Wesleyan minister. He trained as an apprentice surgeon-apothecary in Bedale
.
Laycock’s interests were the nervous system and psychology.
He initially studied medicine at the University College London
, and furthered his studies in Paris
under Alfred Armand Velpeau
(1795–1867) and Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis
(1787–1872) an initiator of statistics. In 1839 he received his medical doctorate at the University of Göttingen, and afterwards returned to York as a lecturer at York Medical School as well as physician to the York Dispensary. From 1855 until his death in 1876, he held the chair of medicine in Edinburgh
.
In 1852 Laycock encountered Hughlings Jackson, a new student; he also taught Jonathan Hutchinson
whom Jackson was to meet in 1859 and share a house with at 14 Finsbury Circus, London for three years. In Edinburgh, Laycock was friendly with the asylum reformer William A.F. Browne (1805-1885) and a major influence on the career of his son James Crichton-Browne
(1840-1938).
Laycock is remembered today for his concept concerning the reflex action
of the brain
, and from this standpoint he postulated that a reflex was an intelligent, but unconscious
reaction to stimuli. He believed that although the brain was an organ of consciousness, it was still subject to the laws of reflex action, and in this regard was no different than other ganglia of the nervous system
. Laycock also had a fundamental belief in the unity of nature, and saw nature as working through an unconsciously acting principle of organization.
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
Among medical historians, he is best known for his influence on the young John Hughlings Jackson
John Hughlings Jackson
John Hughlings Jackson, FRS , was an English neurologist.- Biography :He was born at Providence Green, Green Hammerton, near Harrogate, Yorkshire, the youngest son of Samuel Jackson, a yeoman who owned and farmed his land, and the former Sarah Hughlings, the daughter of a Welsh revenue collector...
and the psychiatrist James Crichton-Browne
James Crichton-Browne
Sir James Crichton-Browne MD FRS was a leading British psychiatrist famous for studies on the relationship of mental illness to neurological damage and for the development of public health policies in relation to mental health...
.
Laycock was the son of a Wesleyan minister. He trained as an apprentice surgeon-apothecary in Bedale
Bedale
Bedale is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of Leeds, southwest of Middlesbrough, and south west of the county town of Northallerton...
.
Laycock’s interests were the nervous system and psychology.
He initially studied medicine at the University College London
University 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...
, and furthered his studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under Alfred Armand Velpeau
Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau
Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau was a French anatomist and surgeon.-Biography:A native of Brèches, Indre-et-Loire, he was a student and assistant to Pierre Bretonneau. During his early medical career he was a surgeon in several hospitals in Paris...
(1795–1867) and Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis
Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis
Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis was a French physician, known for introducing the use of the "numerical method" in the field of medicine — i.e., the concept that knowledge about a disease, its history, clinical presentation and treatment, could be derived from aggregated patient data.Louis became...
(1787–1872) an initiator of statistics. In 1839 he received his medical doctorate at the University of Göttingen, and afterwards returned to York as a lecturer at York Medical School as well as physician to the York Dispensary. From 1855 until his death in 1876, he held the chair of medicine in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
In 1852 Laycock encountered Hughlings Jackson, a new student; he also taught Jonathan Hutchinson
Jonathan Hutchinson
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson , was an English surgeon, ophthalmologist, dermatologist, venereologist and pathologist.-Life:He was born in Selby, Yorkshire, England of Quaker parents and educated in the local school...
whom Jackson was to meet in 1859 and share a house with at 14 Finsbury Circus, London for three years. In Edinburgh, Laycock was friendly with the asylum reformer William A.F. Browne (1805-1885) and a major influence on the career of his son James Crichton-Browne
James Crichton-Browne
Sir James Crichton-Browne MD FRS was a leading British psychiatrist famous for studies on the relationship of mental illness to neurological damage and for the development of public health policies in relation to mental health...
(1840-1938).
Laycock is remembered today for his concept concerning the reflex action
Reflex action
A reflex action, also known as a reflex, is an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus. A true reflex is a behavior which is mediated via the reflex arc; this does not apply to casual uses of the term 'reflex'.-See also:...
of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, and from this standpoint he postulated that a reflex was an intelligent, but unconscious
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
reaction to stimuli. He believed that although the brain was an organ of consciousness, it was still subject to the laws of reflex action, and in this regard was no different than other ganglia of the nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
. Laycock also had a fundamental belief in the unity of nature, and saw nature as working through an unconsciously acting principle of organization.