John Richardson

Source:BMJ

John Richardson, MB, BS, (1915-2002) was a British family practice physician who spent many years caring for and researching ME patients. He was a founding Member of the Newcastle Research Group, a member of the Melvin Ramsay Society, and the Environmental Medicine Association. He served as the Chairman of the 1989 Cambridge Symposium on the Clinical and Scientific Basis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. and the book that followed, The Clinical and Scientific Basis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, edited by Byron Hyde, was dedicated to Dr. Richardson.

In 2001, Dr Richardson wrote a book describing the relationship between exposure to enteroviruses or toxins such as organophosphates and onset of myalgic encephalomyelitis and other organ pathologies.

Richardson's research was involved in demonstrating an association between ME, enterovirus infection, and hypothalamic dysfunction, brainstem hypoperfusion, and brain pathology at autopsy.

Just prior to his death in 2002, he produced a document containing guidelines for physicians on diagnosing and treating ME patients.

Notable studies

• 2002, Toxins and Immunity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2002, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Guidelines for Doctors (Abstract)
• 2001, Viral Isolation from Brain in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - Case Report (Abstract)
• 2000, Four Cases of Pesticide Poisoning, Presenting as “ME,” Treated with a Choline and Ascorbic Acid Mixture (Abstract)
• 1998, Relationship Between SPECT Scans and Buspirone Tests in Patients with ME/CFS (Abstract)
• 1995, Disturbance of Hypothalamic Function and Evidence for Persistent Enteroviral Infection in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)

Book

• Enteroviral and Toxin Mediated Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Other Organ Pathologies

Obituary

• 2003, In Memoriam - John Richardson, Physician, 6th February 1915–18th July 2002
• 2002, Obituary in the BMJ

Learn more

• 2014, "ME/CFS - Dr. John Richardson and the Enterovirus Connection" by Erica Verrillo at Onward Through the Fog

See also

• Irving Spurr

BMJ The BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

brainstem Region of the midbrain in adults, includes midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata and develops.

enterovirus A genus of RNA viruses which typically enter the body through the respiratory or gastrointestinal systems and sometimes spread to the central nervous system or other parts of the body, causing neurological, cardiac, and other damage. Since the first reports of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), enteroviruses have been suspected as a cause of ME. Enteroviruses have also been implicated as the cause of Type I diabetes, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. Enteroviruses include poliovirus, coxsackieviruses, and many others. New enteroviruses and new strains of existing enteroviruses are continuously being discovered. (Learn more: viralzone.expasy.org)