- This article is about the English surgeon; for other people named William Little see William Little (disambiguation).
William John Little (1810–1894) was an English
surgeon who is credited with the first medical identification of
spastic diplegia, when he observed it in the 1860s amongst children. While
spasticity surely existed before that point, Little was the first person to medically record the condition in writing. Thus, for many years, spastic diplegia was known as
Little's Disease; only later did the name change. Also, Little founded the
Royal Orthopaedic Hospital of London.