Marjorie and others,
We all would be very happy to know the cause of PD. Till that time every
treatment is more or less a mere trial because whatever causes our disease
has not disappeared. Epidemological research is done in the past. I have a
sort of abstract from 1982. One in seven patients start between 30 and 40
years of age. PD exists everywhere in it seems about the same percentage
with an exception for black Americans and South-Africans which seem to be a
little less susceptible. The only "environmental" factor that is found
consistently is : Smokers have much less chance to become a parkie than not
smokers (I never smoked and sometimes this story can be a comfort for
people whose nicotine addiction is to strong to let them stop.)
Now a tendency is reported: sometimes people in the countryside should be a
little more prone than people in the city.
Combining this two things I can not help getting the suspicion that the
fumes of the city are protecting.
Parkinson himself, who for the first time described the disease, did so in
1817.
If Parkinson can be caused by modern pollution this can't be the only
responsible faktor.
You mentioned that we should know more from other countries. In a sense I
did so once. One of my opposite neighbours is a Hindu family (from Suriname
or ex-Dutch Guyana). Years ago I went there to greet the old grandmother
who visited. As soon as see saw me she became upset and started to talk in
Hindi. As was translated for me she told a man in their village had died
after suffering for about 6 years from a mysterious illness. She immediate-
ly saw I had the same disease. From then they asked me to show myself every
time other family-members, friends or relations (which seemed to be an
endless amount) showed up. My neighbour has told often about their life in
Suriname. They had a farm and growed nearly all their own food without
chemicals.
So unfortunately we don't come nearer to a solution.
To end this disapointing letter something off topic about language learn-
ing. Historians tell the Dutch and the English have exchanged Suriname
for Manhattan. Hadn't we been so stupid, Dutch would have been the world-
language now!
Ida Kamphuis
Holland
