Alan B. Scott

Alan Brown Scott (July 13, 1932 – December 16, 2021[1]) was an American ophthalmologist specializing in eye muscles and their disorders, such as strabismus (eye misalignment). He is best known for his work in developing and manufacturing the drug that became known as Botox, research described as "groundbreaking" by the ASCRS.[2]

Scott initially developed botulinum type A neurotoxin (botulinum toxin) to treat strabismus, naming it Oculinum™ (“eye aligner”).[3][4] He was fascinated by the prospect of turning "a deadly poison into a miracle drug for obscure but devastating eye diseases”.[5] The cosmetic application was discovered by accident, during its original use as ophthalmic treatment.[2]

Botox, dubbed “medicine’s answer to duct tape”, has been found to be effective for muscle spasms and contractures, severe sweating and drooling, migraines, urinary incontinence, and many other disorders.[3][4] In pursuit of new ways to help his patients, Scott made many basic scientific advances concerning eye muscles, their coordination, and their modifiability.[6][7][8][9]

Scott wanted to treat strabismus with a simple, low-cost injection, rather than with conventional surgery under general anesthesia. To reach muscles behind the eye for injection, Scott and colleagues developed EMG-guided injection, which monitors muscle activity to guide needle placement.[10]

  1. ^ Green, Penelope (2022-01-12). "Alan Scott, Doctor Behind the Medical Use of Botox, Dies at 89". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  2. ^ a b "Alan B. Scott, MD | ASCRS". Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  3. ^ a b Singer, Natasha (April 11, 2009). "So Botox Isn't Just Skin Deep". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b McCutcheon, Chuck. "The Creator of Botox Never Cared about Wrinkles". Scientific American Blog Network.
  5. ^ Weiss, Mike; Writer, Chronicle Staff (April 14, 2002). "For S.F. doctor, drug Botox became a real eye-opener / Toxin's cosmetic use a lucrative wrinkle". SFGate.
  6. ^ Robinson, D. A.; O'Meara, D.M.; Scott, A. B. (1969). "Mechanical components of human eye movements" (PDF). Journal of Applied Physiology. 26 (5): 548–553. doi:10.1152/jappl.1969.26.5.548. PMID 5781605.
  7. ^ Scott, A. B. (September 6, 1975). "Force and velocity tests in strabismus". Transactions. Section on Ophthalmology. American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. 79 (5): 727–732. PMID 1189170.
  8. ^ Collins, C. C.; Carlson, M. R.; Scott, A. B.; Jampolsky, A. (May 6, 1981). "Extraocular muscle forces in normal human subjects". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 20 (5): 652–664. PMID 7216678.
  9. ^ Scott, A. B.; Miller, J. M.; Collins, C. C. (1992). "Eye muscle prosthesis. - PubMed - NCBI". Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. 29 (4): 216–8. doi:10.3928/0191-3913-19920701-07. PMID 1512661.
  10. ^ Magoon, E.; Cruciger, M.; Scott, A. B.; Jampolsky, A. (1982). "Diagnostic injection of Xylocaine into extraocular muscles. - PubMed - NCBI". Ophthalmology. 89 (5): 489–91. doi:10.1016/s0161-6420(82)34764-8. PMID 7099568.