Chen Jingrun, China's famous mathematician: devastated by brain injuries on the doorstep to solving a fundamental mathematical puzzle.

Chen Jingrun (1933-1996), perhaps the most prodigious mathematician of his time, focused on the field of analytical number theory. His work on Waring's problem, Legendre's conjecture, and Goldbach's conjecture led to progress in analytical number theory in the form of "Chen's Theorem," which he published in 1966 and 1973. His early life was ravaged by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. On the verge of solving Goldbach's conjecture in 1984, Chen was struck by a bicyclist while also bicycling and suffered severe brain trauma. During his hospitalization, he was also found to have Parkinson's disease. Chen suffered another serious brain concussion after a fall only a few months after recovering from the bicycle crash. With significant deficits, he remained hospitalized for several years without making progress while receiving modern Western medical therapies. In 1988 traditional Chinese medicine experts were called in to assist with his treatment. After a year of acupuncture and oxygen therapy, Chen could control his basic bowel and bladder functions, he could walk slowly, and his swallowing and speech improved. When Chen was unable to produce complex work or finish his final work on Goldbach's conjecture, his mathematical pursuits were taken up vigorously by his dedicated students. He was able to publish Youth Math, a mathematics book that became an inspiration in Chinese education. Although he died in 1996 at the age of 63 after surviving brutal political repression, being deprived of neurological function at the very peak of his genius, and having to be supported by his wife, Chen ironically became a symbol of dedication, perseverance, and motivation to his students and associates, to Chinese youth, to a nation, and to mathematicians and scientists worldwide.

¿Fueron los aztecas quienes primero representaron la enfermedad de Parkinson? / Were the Aztecs the first to represent Parkinson's disease?

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[Clinical experience of Qin's eight scalp needles for treatment of Parkinson's disease].

The eight scalp needles, founded by Professor QIN Liang-fu, and its clinical experience for treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) are introduced. Based on his years of clinical experience, it is proposed by Professor QIN that the Governor Vessel is mainly for miscellaneous disease and disease of limbs. Combined with distribution of cephalic motor region and meridian, an acupuncture treatment plan that is full of innovativeness is proposed, which is called Qin's eight scalp needles. It includes bilateral Fengchi (GB 20), Shuaigu (GB 8), Toulinqi (GB 15) as well as Yintang (GV 29) and Baihui (GV 20), mainly for treatment of nervous system diseases, such as PD and multiple sclerosis and so on. Besides, some outpatient cases are introduced to explain that eight scalp needle could alleviate the progression of PD, improve patients' motor, cognitive and affective disorders, reduce the suffering of patients, and improve the patient's quality of life.

[Parkinson's disease in literature, cinema and television]. / La enfermedad de Parkinson en la literatura, el ciney la televisión.

INTRODUCTION. Since James Parkinson published what can be considered the first treaty on the disease that bears his name in 1817, the scientific literature on this pathology has not ceased to grow. But the illness has also been represented in literature, the cinema and on television, where the symptoms, treatment and socio-familial context of the disease have often been examined very closely. AIM. To address the cases in which Parkinson's disease appears in literature, cinema and television, as well as to reflect on the image of the condition presented in those contexts. DEVELOPMENT. We reviewed some of the most important works in the literature dealing with Parkinson's disease from any period of history and many of them were found to offer very faithful portrayals of the disease. Likewise, we also reviewed major films and TV series that sometimes offer the general public a close look at the vision and the impact of the disease on patients or their relatives. CONCLUSIONS. Literature, cinema and television have helped provide a realistic view of both Parkinson's disease and the related healthcare professionals, and there are many examples that portray the actual experiences of the patients themselves, while also highlighting the importance of healthcare and socio-familial care.

TITLE: La enfermedad de Parkinson en la literatura, el cine y la television.Introduccion. En 1817, James Parkinson publico el que puede considerarse el primer tratado sobre la enfermedad que lleva su nombre y desde entonces existe prolija bibliografia cientifica sobre esta patologia. Pero tambien se ha representado la enfermedad en la literatura, el cine y la television, donde se ha otorgado una vision cercana a la sintomatologia, el tratamiento y el contexto sociofamiliar de la enfermedad. Objetivo. Abordar la aparicion de la enfermedad de Parkinson en la literatura, el cine y la television, asi como reflexionar sobre la imagen de la misma en dichos contextos. Desarrollo. Se han revisado algunas de las principales obras de la literatura de todos los tiempos que han abordado la enfermedad de Parkinson y se ha observado que en muchas de ellas se ofrece una vision muy fidedigna de la enfermedad. Del mismo modo, se han revisado las principales peliculas y series de television que, en ocasiones, son un reflejo cercano al publico general de la vision e impacto de la enfermedad sobre los pacientes o familiares. Conclusiones. La literatura, el cine y la television han contribuido a dar una vision realista de la enfermedad de Parkinson, asi como de los profesionales sanitarios relacionados y hay numerosos ejemplos en los que se muestran las vivencias de los propios enfermos y se resalta la importancia de la atencion sanitaria y sociofamiliar.

The history of parkinsonism: descriptions in ancient Indian medical literature.

The clinical syndrome of parkinsonism was identified in ancient India even before the period of Christ and was treated methodically. The earliest reference to bradykinesia dates to 600 bc. Evidences prove that as early as 300 bc, Charaka proposed a coherent picture of parkinsonism by describing tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait disturbances as its components. The scenario was further developed by Madhava, Vagbhata, and Dalhana all through history. The 15th-century classic "Bhasava rajyam" introduced the term kampavata, which may be regarded as an ayurvedic analogue of parkinsonism. The pathogenesis of kampavata centered on the concept of imbalance in the vata factor, which controls psychomotor activities. The essential element in therapy was the administration of powdered seed of Mucuna pruriens, or atmagupta, which as per reports, contains 4%-6% of levodopa. In addition to proving the existence and identification of parkinsonism in ancient India, the study points to the significance of ancient Indian Sanskrit works in medical history.

A historical justification for and retrospective analysis of the systematic application of light therapy in Parkinson's disease.

For the past 40 years the primary purpose of therapeutics for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been to replace deficient dopamine (DA) in the nigrostriatal dopamine (NSD) system. Even in the presence of limited efficacy, abundant side effects and impoverished quality of life, the involvement of other systems in the aetiology and treatment of this disorder has been sorely neglected and the excessive use of DA replacement therapy (DART) continues on a global basis. Recent scientific work suggests that the retina plays a major role in NSD function and intimates light therapy in the management of PD. After a thorough review of historical evidence supporting this contention, a retrospective, open-label study on 129 PD patients, whereby they were monitored for a period extending for a few months to eight years, was carried out. Primary motor and non-motor symptoms were monitored using an objectified global rating scale and timed motor tests that were assessed at regular intervals for the duration of the study. Thirty-one patients with other neurological disorders (OND) served as controls to determine whether any therapeutic effects seen with light were generalizable across other conditions. Patients were classified as compliant (COM), semi-compliant (SCOM), or early quit (EQUIT; prematurely discontinued treatment). EQUIT patients showed deterioration, while the COM group improved on most parameters. The SCOM patients were not as good as the COM group. The OND group showed significant improvement in depression and insomnia, but exposure to light did not improve motor function. The total drug burden of PD patients maintained on light was less with fewer side effects than SCOM or EQUIT groups. These results confirm the value of the strategic application of light therapy with controlled doses of DART in PD and warrants further controlled investigation. That the symptomatic improvement continued as long patients remained in the program suggests that exposure to light, under a strict daily regimen, combined with controlled DART, actively slows or arrests the progressive degenerative process underlying PD.

Therapeutic history of Parkinson's disease in Chinese medical treatises.

BACKGROUND: Chronological research on the therapeutic history of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been conducted by Chinese medical treatises from ancient to modern times. It outlines the division by the early, middle, and modern periods. The precise records for the clinical symptoms of PD and its preliminary treatment prescriptions could date back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Thereafter (220 AD-1911), due to an increase in the understanding of PD in Chinese medical science, prescriptions for treatment also sprang up. METHODS: Frequency statistics and cluster analysis have been carried out to elucidate the medication rules and commonly used Chinese medicinal materials (CMM) for prevention and treatment of PD during the middle period. CONCLUSIONS: In modern times, the dozens of prescriptions or bioactive ingredients of CMM used for the symptomatic treatment of PD have been shown to be effective in clinical trials. However, an analysis of contemporary Chinese clinical literature on PD has suggested the need for more rigorous research methodology before CMM could be adopted by evidence-based medicine.

Adolf Hitler's medical care.

For the last nine years of his life Adolf Hitler, a lifelong hypochondriac had as his physician Dr Theodor Morell. Hitler's mood swings, Parkinson's disease, gastro-intestinal symptoms, skin problems and steady decline until his suicide in 1945 are documented by reliable observers and historians, and in Morell's diaries. The bizarre and unorthodox medications given to Hitler, often for undisclosed reasons, include topical cocaine, injected amphetamines, glucose, testosterone, estradiol, and corticosteroids. In addition, he was given a preparation made from a gun cleaner, a compound of strychnine and atropine, an extract of seminal vesicles, and numerous vitamins and 'tonics'. It seems possible that some of Hitler's behaviour, illnesses and suffering can be attributed to his medical care. Whether he blindly accepted such unorthodox medications or demanded them is unclear.

[The Luys' body]. / Le corps de Luys.

In 1865, Jules Luys (1828-1897) described the 'accessory band of the superior olive' (red nucleus). In 1877, A. Forel completed the description and gave the name of Corpus Luysii (CL) to this grey sub-thalamic formation. In 1927, P. Martin's attribute the Hemiballismus to the destruction of the C.L. and specifies the function of the nucleus foreseen by Luys, which play a crucial role in the synthesis of automatic motor action. The new stimulation techniques of this nucleus in the treatment of Parkinson's disease would have opened a third life for the C.L. if its name hade not be changed into 'nucleus subthalamicus'. Jules Luys, a good anatomist, one of the pioneers in France of microscope and photography, ruined his reputation by his ramblings on hysteria and hypnosis which allowed the 'action of medications at distance', the 'storage of cerebral activities within magnetic crowns' and gave prominence to 'brain emanations'.

[Centenary of the Health Council of the Netherlands. VII. Influencing the human brain in the future]. / Honderd jaar Gezondheidsraad. VII. Hersenbeïnvloeding in de toekomst.

On the occasion of its centenary, the Health Council of the Netherlands issued an advisory report on future possibilities for influencing the human brain. The Council foresees that, in the future, it will probably become possible to prevent or extensively delay diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's disease. The burden of many mental disorders will be markedly relieved by early detection and treatment. Developments are to be expected in the fields of function enhancement, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and electrostimulation. The promising developments aimed at the prevention of brain disorders have important ethical and societal implications which require uninterrupted attention.

Jules Bernard Luys: a singular figure of 19th century neurology.

Jules Bernard Luys was a highly industrious and dedicated French investigator who made important contributions to the fields of neuroanatomy and neuropsychiatry in the second half of the 19th century. His name is still eponymically attached to the subthalamic nucleus and the centre médian nucleus, two structures that are at the center of our current thinking about the functional organization of the basal ganglia and the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. While developing a highly original view of the anatomical and functional organization of the human brain, Luys contributed significantly to our knowledge of the neuropathological and clinical aspects of mental illnesses. Luys devoted the last part of his career to hysteria and hypnosis, engaging himself in experiments as extravagant as the action of medication at distance. In doing so, he became perhaps the most highly caricatured example of the fascination that hysteria exerted upon various renowned neurologists at the end of the 19th century. This paper briefly summarizes the contribution of this remarkable figure of the history of neurology.

Lesions as therapy: surgical intervention in Parkinson's disease prior to L-dopa.

The study of Parkinson's disease has undergone vast changes across its almost 200 year history. Over this period, research scientists have added dramatic detail to their understanding both of the motor system in general and the etiology of Parkinson's disease specifically. This expanded understanding has been facilitated, particularly, by the work of clinicians with the goal of improving treatments designed to ameliorate its symptoms. This article examines the evolution of one particular clinical approach, the production of lesions to segments of the basal ganglia, from its inception, through its "golden era," disuse, and rebirth.