James Walker Dawson: His fingers and their historical context

•Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects both the white and grey matter in the central nervous system.•Born in 1870, James Walker Dawson was an Irish doctor who established himself as a leader in the field of pathology and inflammation.•Dawson’s manuscript titled, “The Histology of Disseminated Sclerosis” was the most thorough study of the disease at the time.•He describes the histological shape of the sclerotic plaques as “finger-like”•Today, the periventricular plaques that are seen on magnetic resonance imaging have been named after Dawson. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders in the world. James Walker Dawson examined, in considerable depth, the gross and histologic patterns of MS. Today, periventricular plaques that exhibit an appearance typical for demyelination are nicknamed “Dawson’s Fingers.” A literature review was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar to find articles that chronicle the personal and professional life of James Walker Dawson. Research focused on Dawson’s work with disseminated sclerosis, or MS as it is known today. Born in India, Dawson and his family moved to Scotland as a child, and he studied at the Edinburgh Institution. After earning his medical degree, Dawson started his career at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. While his early career focused on the study of wound healing and inflammation, Dawson transitioned into neurologic research under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Bruce in 1908. Dawson’s landmark manuscript, “The Histology of Disseminated Sclerosis,” published in 1916, featured findings from extensive research on the pathology of MS in nine patients. His findings earned him recognition as a founder of autoimmune neurology and foremost contributor to the current understanding of MS.