Thomas de Quincey and his restless legs symptoms as depicted in “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater”

✍ Scribed by Marcelo Miranda; Anne-Marie Williams; Diego Garcia-Borreguero

• Book ID: 102504289
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 136 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-3185
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.23198

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Thomas de Quincey, a British writer of 19th century, suffered insomnia from the age of 17 years. In his famous “Confessions of an English‐Opium Eater” (1822), he described a symptomatology that could concord with restless legs syndrome long before he became addicted to opium. In this report, we analyze his clinical description and the circumstances leading to his opium addiction. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society