Sir George Frederic Still, KCVO (27 February 1868—28 June 1941) was an English paediatrician and author of numerous medical textbooks and articles who first described a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis which bears his name, as well as being the first to describe ADHD.[1] He is frequently referenced as the "father of British paediatrics".
George Frederick Still was born in Highbury, London Borough of Islington and educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Caius College, Cambridge.[2] In 1897, he published his doctoral thesis describing a form of childhood febrile arthritis today known as Still's disease. He was also the one to initially describe the symptoms of ADHD (Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Other medical terms named after him include Still's murmur and Still's rash.
During most of his adult life, Still's avocation was reading works from antiquity in their original languages. He was fluent in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic. His choice of profession, however, was medicine and he devoted his life to pediatrics, writing prolifically about childhood diseases and serving as Secretary of the Children's Clinical Club. His life was dedicated to improving afflicted children's chance at survival, and particularly patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He was knighted upon retiring in 1937.
George Frederic Still died in Salisbury at the age of 73.