Descriptions of cervical dystonia by Sir Charles Bell

Sir Charles Bell is better known among neurologists for his descriptions of the clinical consequences of facial nerve lesions. However, as an accomplished physician, anatomist, and artist, he made many other contributions to the fields of neurology and neuroscience. Among those, his descriptions of patients with what we now know as cervical dystonia have not received much attention. In this report, Bell's depictions of patients presenting with a syndrome consistent with cervical dystonia will be discussed, including the identification of many of the different clinical features we currently use for the diagnosis of this disorder and his thoughts about its pathogenesis.