... after Warren Tay and Bernard Sachs. In 1881, Tay, a British ophthalmologist, described a patient with a cherry-red spot on the retina of the eye. Sachs, a New York neurologist, provided the first description of the cellular changes in Tay-Sachs disease several years later. He also observed that most ... coverings of the brain, and the spinal cord. The most common form of the disease affects babies. Babies with Tay-Sachs disease lack hexosaminidase A, an enzyme that is necessary for breaking down certain fatty substances in brain and nerve cells. These fatty acids then accumulate in the...

• Word Count: 1533
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School