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I am interested by the recent flurry of items on lack of oxygen, carbon monoxide, hyperventilation etc (Jules, Ernie and Paul). Last week I happened to pick up an ancient (1955) textbook called "Pictorial Home Doctor" by Dr T Traherne, Victoria Publications (London) Ltd. There's a lot of good stuff in it about burns and scalds and childhood rashes - but I also naturally turned to "P" for Parkinson's. There, I was surprised to read the following: " This occurs in elderly people amd is more common in men than in women. The onset is gradual; it is slowly progressive, and there is no known cure. It is due to arteriosclerosis of the arteries leading to part of the brain." Well! Is this confident statement something we have forgotten, or is it simply complete nonsense? If true, it would seem to be entirely consistent with lack of oxygen as a contributory factor. (Bear in mind, though, that this book predates L-dopa and Lewy bodies etc). What I would be interested to know, as a further corollary, is: 1. Do PWPs have greater tendency towards hypertension (high blood pressure). It so happens that I do myself, but is this common for us? 2. Do PWPs have higher risk of strokes? I hope not! Any views (or even facts!) out there? Tim Sanderson ([log in to unmask]) London, UK, 42/1 ...incidentally, AOL is still working fine in UK - no problems.