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Greg, Dr. Parkinson described the shaking palsy pretty well. Putting a name on something is a big step. In his Essay on the Shaking Palsy he said he expected there to be a cure soon.. Sound familiar? ... That was 1817. The dopamine deficit part of PD was worked on primarily by a Swede working with an Austrian to get to levodopa. The ldopa protection was to a great part Canadian. The MAO-B inhibitor was Hungarian with the Austrian. The surgical treatment seems to be more Scandinavian. The electrical implant use is being pioneered by the French with technical know-how at least in part from the US. In the particular area of PD research I am looking in, there are only two articles, one serious Russian article which missed the point in my opinion and one very short item from Britain which was written to be humorous but in spite of a glaring factual error provided some needed credence. The publish or perish syndrome in the US produces a tremendous volume of literature -- and what I call illiterature. I used to play the game myself but tried for more quality and less quantity. I probably would have done better going the other way. We spend and spend and get relatively little in return except in those rare cases where quality comes through. PD is not our only problem. Osteoporosis and hip fracture meant less than a year to live for most in the geriatric set a few years ago... Hip replacement is now common. It's high tech & low tech. A while back I was in a small stainless steel foundry and stamping plant. The machinery must have been from the 1950's if not before. They had one forge heated by bottled propane, a hammer, tumblers made from 55 gallon drums with sand in them, and a few auto garage type grinding / burnishing machines. They made fishing lures and hip joints. I wish we could get the equivalent quality at ten times the price. Will 67 now/ 39 first recognized symptoms / diagnosed age 58 ---------- From: Greg and/or Diane Sterling <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: neurologist or movement disorder specialist? Date: Monday, June 12, 2000 11:50 AM Will, I must have missed your point. Dr. Parkinson was given the credit of discovering "shaking palsy". I don't believe he did anything more to advance a cure for PD than Lou Gehrig did for ALS. They both managed to have a disease named after them, albeit under different circumstances. How many fingers do you have on one hand? Equating a broken hip with PD is like comparing acne to melanoma. What do you think should be done to advance PD research? Last time I checked I didn't find any knowledgeable researchers working for a song. How about some new ideas if the current ones aren't to your liking? I'm sure Princess Di's father received the same care any bloak would have regardless of his English class. Sorry Will, but you got my dander up. Greg 47/35/35 ----- Original Message ----- From: "will johnston" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2000 10:24 AM Subject: Re: neurologist or movement disorder specialist? > Yvonne, > > James Parkinson was an English MD. We Americans throw vast sums of money > in the direction of improved medical care and medical research. You can > count the medical breakthroughs in PD in the U.S. on one hand and have a > few fingers left over. A few years ago my mother was touring in Exeter and > fell, breaking a hip. The NHS did a wonderful job of taking care of her > and her new hip joint. We are grateful. > > Some of the neurologists who specialize in PD are still on Harley Street, > but most are participants in the NHS. I'm sure Princess Di's dad got good > care with his PD. > > Will Johnnston > A.P.D.A. DelMarVA Chapter Pres. > 4049 Oakland School Road > Salisbury MD 21804 USA 410-543-0110. > > > > ---------- > From: (Yvonne) (Webb) <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: neurologist or movement disorder specialist? > Date: Sunday, June 11, 2000 1:22 PM > > many of you have sent very kind emails in response to my request for help. > thank you for that. > i think my mother is due to see a neurologist. her symptoms seem very clear > cut to me after looking at the web sites devoted to giving information > about > symptoms, and it would seem difficult for anyone with some knowledge to > miss > them now. however, some of you have said i must get her to see a 'movement > disorders specialist'. would there be such specialists in england? health > services in the states seem to be much more progressive than here. > kind regards, > Yvonne >