G. B. A. Duchenne's description of pseudohypertrophic muscular paralysis contains not only the first clear account of this disease, but also the first report of a practical instrument of muscle biopsy. Duchenne (1806-1875) was a French neurologist who was led to a careful study of neuromuscular diseases through his interest in the effects of electrical stimulation on muscle.1 His painstaking observations, combined with an intuitive grasp of his field, enabled him to make many important contributions to nosology at a time when the distinction between primary muscle disease and neurogenic atrophy of muscle was poorly appreciated. Duchenne's muscular dystrophy remains a well-defined clinical entity, but other forms of muscular dystrophy have since been described.2,3 Although Duchenne did not recognize the hereditary character of the disease, the muscular dystrophies have subsequently been shown to have a genetic basis, and techniques are now available to detect genetic carriers.4 Duchenne