Category: History of Movement Disorders
Objective: To analyze two different printings of Parkinson’s pamphlet „The Budget of the People“ which have been collected and analyzed.
Background: In 1793 James Parkinson published a political pamphlet titled „The Budget of the People“ under the pseudonym Old Hubert. In this work, he criticized the British government’s financial policies and the heavy taxation placed on the general population, especially during the costly wars of the time. He argued that the burden of taxation fell disproportionately on poorer citizens while wealthy elites and powerful landowners were less affected. Only a few examples of this print have survied and we present tow different printings.
Method: We are searching for rare prints of James Parkinson to understand his political and social activities in a transformative episode of British history. By this search we have found two rare original prints of his political pamphlet.
Results: Parkinson’s pamphlet proposed a fairer financial system and called for reforms that would better represent the interests of the wider population. His writing reflected the influence of reform movements inspired by the French Revolution, which encouraged debates about political rights, representation, and social justice across Europe.Interestingly the two prints differ in the letter printing and the paper used although the water sign of the papers is somewhat similar. While the first print (figure 1) seems somewhat more organized, the secound (figure 2) looks like a print shortly after the first, but printed with greater haste and in a hurry. The address of the printer is also changed, but the content of the writings are the same.
Conclusion: It is likely that many examples of the first print have been confiscated and destroyed and a secound print has been done within a short time.
The two figures of “The Budget of the People”
Figure 2
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
S. Lorenzl, Y. Zashchypas, C. Pallauf. What two Versions of Parkinson’s „The Budget of the People“ might tell us about the Historical Background [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/what-two-versions-of-parkinsons-the-budget-of-the-people-might-tell-us-about-the-historical-background/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/what-two-versions-of-parkinsons-the-budget-of-the-people-might-tell-us-about-the-historical-background/