PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Manon Auffret
AU  - Marc Verin
TI  - John Yerbury Dent and Apomorphine: an unfinished history (P4.9-044)
DP  - 2019 Apr 09
TA  - Neurology
PG  - P4.9-044
VI  - 92
IP  - 15 Supplement
4099  - http://n.neurology.org/content/92/15_Supplement/P4.9-044.short
4100  - http://n.neurology.org/content/92/15_Supplement/P4.9-044.full
SO  - Neurology2019 Apr 09; 92
AB  - Objective: To investigate the role of John Y. Dent in the study of apomorphine in anxiety and addiction.Background: Apomorphine is currently prescribed in Parkinson’s disease. Between 1899 and the late 1970’s, it was used in the treatment of addictions, mainly alcoholism. While most practitioners used apomorphine to induce aversion through its powerful emetic properties, John Y. Dent developed a method based on its suspected anti-craving effect.Design/Methods: A nonsystematic database (PubMed, Google Scholar, JSTOR) search for books and articles related to Dent was undertaken, supplemented with documents from Dent’s family.Results: Dent became interested in apomorphine around 1920, whilst being Resident Medical Officer at the St. Pancras Hospital (London) and working with addicts and neurotics. The emetic and sedative properties of apomorphine prompted him to develop a treatment for alcoholism, at first based on on classical Pavlovian conditioning. His method was presented in 1934 to the Society for the Study of Addiction. Empiricism further led Dent to reconsider his first conclusions, and to suspect that apomorphine acted through a deeper effect, related to the “hindbrain”, and the suppression of craving -with no recourse to aversion. From there, Dent continuously battled to correct his “unfortunate” first statement (1949) and to broaden the use of apomorphine -even appealing to the American Medical Association for research. Throughout his career, dedicated to apomorphine treatment, Dent treated over 1, 000 cases, including the famous author William S Burroughs, who became an advocate of apomorphine. His death in 1962 sadly prevented him from understanding apomorphine pharmacological action, as its dopaminergic properties were only discovered in 1965 (Ernst).Conclusions: Charismatic, “great friends of alcoholics” and editor in chief of the British Journal of Inebriety (1941–1961), Dent plaid an undeniable role in the study of apomorphine in addiction. Recent neuromolecular data bolster his work: his legacy will live on.Disclosure: Dr. Auffret has nothing to disclose. Dr. Verin has nothing to disclose.