James W. Lance

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For the actor, see James Lance.

James W. Lance

AO, CBE
Born(1926-10-19)19 October 1926
Wollongong, Australia
Died20 February 2019(2019-02-20) (aged 92)
Australia
NationalityAustralian
Other names
  • James Waldo Lance
  • James Lance
Education
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
Known for
Scientific career
FieldsNeurology
Institutions

James Waldo Lance

neurologist. He was the founder of the School of Neurology at the University of New South Wales and president of the International Headache Society in 1987–89,[1] and a "world authority on the diagnosis and treatment" of headache and migraine.[2][3]

Early life and education

Lance was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 29 October 1926. His parents operated a local department store in Wollongong. His maternal grandfather, James Douglas Stewart, was professor of veterinary science at the University of Sydney and a member of the CSIRO.[4]

He was sent to study at

Southern Highlands of the New South Wales (having been sent there in the hope of the fresh air would alleviate his asthma) and then at Geelong Grammar School and The King's School, Parramatta.[5]

Lance studied medicine at the University of Sydney, from which he graduated as MBBS in 1950.[6]

Sydney, London, Boston

In the years 1950–51 he was resident medical officer at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and in 1952–53 he took up a fellowship at the National Health and Medical Research Council at Sydney University, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree.[7]

In 1954 Lance trained in London, United Kingdom as a neurologist and then worked as assistant house physician at the National Hospital (now known as the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery) in Queen Square, London.[7]

Returning to Sydney, he worked as a tutor (1956–60) at St Paul’s College and a visiting lecturer (1956–62) at Sydney University, then at the Northcott Neurological Centre, Cammeray (1956–57), Sydney Hospital (1956–61) and St Luke’s Hospital, Elizabeth Bay (1957–61).[5]

In 1960 he travelled to the United States where he undertook research at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.[5]

University of New South Wales

In 1961 he joined the just established School of Medicine at the University of New South Wales was the founder of the Department of Neurology. He was to stay at this university for his whole academic career (1961–92), beginning as senior lecturer, and being later appointed as associate professor, as professor of neurology (with a personal chair), and finally as Professor Emeritus.[7]

During this period he also saw patients at the Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospitals (1961–92) and served as foundation director of the Institute of Neurological Sciences (1990–91).[7]

In 1980 he was elected as a

Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
.

Scientific achievements

Following early physiology experiments with special reference to the corticospinal (pyramidal) tract, Lance published a paper in the 1950s on an "attempt to regrow the severed pyramidal tract" and "restore movement to paralysed limbs".[8]

While at the Northcott Neurological Centre, having noted that "less than 50% of migraine sufferers" were receiving effective treatment from their healthcare providers,[9] he undertook to analyse 500 case histories of migraine and vascular headache patients. This "Herculean task" resulted in a paper[10] published in 1960 that is now recognised as a "citation classic".[8]

While in Massachusetts in 1963, he worked with the neurologist

Lance-Adams syndrome).[11][12]

During his period at the Prince Henry Hospital, he conducted research on the physiology of migraine, with special reference to serotonin and its "effects on blood vessels and brain pathways involved in pain".

Glaxo) of sumatriptan, the first clinically available triptan (on the market since 1991) and a key medicine now used to resolve acute migraine attacks.[15]

Awards and honours

Personal life

James Lance was married for almost 70 years to Judy and they had five children.[16]

He died on 20 February 2019.[16]

Select bibliography

  • Mechanism and Management of Headache (London: Butterworths, c. 1969; 3rd ed., 1978; 4th ed., 1982; 6th ed., Boston and Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 1999; 7th ed., Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005). (Joint editor for 6th ed.: Peter J. Goadsby.)
  • A Physiological Approach to Clinical Neurology (London: Butterworths, 1970; Oxford: Elsevier Science, 3rd ed., 2014.). (Joint author for 3rd ed.: James G. McLeod.)
  • Introductory Neurology, Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1989. Joint author: James G. McLeod.
  • Migraine and Other Headaches, Sydney: Simon & Schuster Australia, 1999.
  • The Golden Trout, Thomas Nelson, 1977.

References

  1. ^ About the IHS, ihs-headache.org. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. ^ Rosslyn Beeby, "Ease the pressure of a headache", The Age, 12 January 1994, p. 14.
  3. ^ Tributes flow after death of world-renowned neurologist, pharmacynews.com.au, 7 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Scientific Research: Appointments to Council", The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 February 1935, p. 10.
  5. ^ a b c Professor James Lance, neurologist, science.org.au. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  6. ^ Alumni Achievements 2019, stpauls.edu.au. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Vale Emeritus Professor James Lance, unsw.edu.au, 6 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b "The neurologist who put migraine on the map", The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 February 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Answers for headache", Medical Journal of Australia, 2004; 180 (7). Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  10. ^ George Selby and James W. Lance, "Observations on 500 Cases of Migraine and Allied Vascular Headache", Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 1960 Feb; 23(1): 23–32. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  11. ^ Lance JW, Adams RD. "The syndrome of intention or action myoclonus as a sequel to hypoxic encephalopathy". Brain 1963; 86: 111–36.
  12. ^ Harsh V. Gupta and John N. Caviness, "Post-hypoxic Myoclonus: Current Concepts, Neurophysiology, and Treatment", Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements (New York). 2016; 6: 409. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  13. ^ "The Wollongong neurologist who put migraine on the map", The Illawarra Mercury, 1 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  14. ^ James W. Lance, Fifty Years of Migraine Research, wiley.com. First published: May 1988. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  15. ^ James W. Lance, "Paper bullets of the brain: A neurologist's story", Medical Journal of Australia, Vol. 179, 1–15 December 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d James Lance Death Notice, The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 February 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  17. ^ Honorary Degree and Fellowship holders, unsw.edu.au. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  18. ^ |https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissa_Wijeratne]]
  19. ^ Peter Goadsby

External links

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