Alan B. Scott
Ophthalmologist and developer of Botox (1932–2021) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]