Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the "Biography of Diseases" series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, "Parkinson's Disease", covers the history and life story of the neuromuscular disease that is famous for the numerous celebrities who have suffered from the disease - Janet Reno, Michael J. Fox, Pope John Paul II. The volume covers diagnosis, treatment, complications, impact on life and family, and research into the disease."Parkinson's Disease" covers all aspects of this terrible debilitating illness: What is Parkinson's Disease? - the history and epidemiology of the disease; How does someone get Parkinson's Disease? - the genetics and environmental factors of the disease; Treatment of Parkinson's Disease - physical therapy, medications, surgery; Complications of Parkinson's Disease - motor complications, cognitive difficulties, mood difficulties; How Parkinson's Disease Affects the Family - changes over time, risk of developing Parkinson's disease in family members; and, Clinical and Scientific Research in Parkinson's Disease - trials of new medication, stem cell research. The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disease