Laterality of Motor Control before the Advent of Experimental Psychology: Revisiting David Kinnebrook’s “Error of Judgement” at Greenwich in 1796

Background: The dismissal of David Kinnebrook as an astronomical laborer in 1796 has afforded him a special position in the history of experimental psychology: “a martyr of science.” This is because he was “ushered away” from his work at the Royal Greenwich Observatory through no fault of his own. Here, using data available in the literature and insights from a new understanding in laterality of motor control (i.e. one-way callosal traffic circuitry) it is shown that Kinnebrook, though right handed, was wired as a left handed person would be; with delayed reaction times in noticing events arising from his right hemispace (delayed saccades to the right).