Edited by
Ronald F. Pfeiffer
Ivan Bodis-Wollner

2005

The idea that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized only by such motor features as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability is deeply embedded not only in the minds of patients and their family members, but also in the training and practice of many physicians. However, even a quick perusal of the amazingly perceptive clinical description that James Parkinson put to paper in 1817 reveals that from the beginning, various features not reflective of motor dysfunction were recognized and described as being part of PD.