Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease

Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease

Edited by William C. Koller

New York, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1987. 505 pp.

Although the tremor of Parkinson’s disease has been described intermittently throughout recorded history, the increasing life expectancy of human beings has made it a commonly treated illness today. Due to its slow progression and many coexistent symptoms, it is quite likely that most medical practitioners will encounter patients with this disease. Recognizing the need to understand and treat this debilitating illness, James Parkinson ended his 1817 description of shaking palsy with this admonishment to basic and clinical scientists:

Before concluding these pages, it may be proper to observe once more, that an important object proposed to be obtained by them is, the leading of the attention of those who humanely employ anatomical examination in detecting the cause and nature of diseases, particularly to this malady. By their benevolent labors its real nature may be ascertained, and appropriate modes of relief, or even of cure, pointed out.

Dr. Koller and his associates have answered his call by producing a handbook that provides up-to-date information on the pharmacology, physiology, pathology, and psychology of Parkinson’s disease. In this comprehensive text, topics range from genetics to stereotactic surgery and include such varied subjects as pharmacologic therapy, rehabilitation, epidemiology, and history. There are also chapters that deal with patient concerns, such as sleep disorders and psychosocial interaction. The appendix includes common staging scales, drug availability and cost, organizations that help patients to cope with their disease, and books that the patients can consult to understand it. The danger in attempting to produce a book of such magnitude is the creation of a tedious morass that a reader must wade through to find the useful facts, but the contributors to this book fall into this pitfall only occasionally.

On the whole, I found this handbook to be well written, well referenced, and interesting. Dr. Koller’s text offers the clinician current useful information about the disease and gives the researcher a comprehensive review of the progress other disciplines have made to understand and treat Parkinson’s disease.