THE BULGARIAN TREATMENT OF PARKINSONISM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS EFFECT ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS
R. FINLEY GAYLE JR. M. D.1, and
JAMES B. PETTIS M. D.2
1 Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Va.,
2 Clinical Director, Western State Hospital, Staunton, Va.
We have used belladonna root extract in the treatment of parkinsonism over a sufficient length of time and in a series of cases sufficiently large for us to draw these conclusions:
1. The mild mental symptoms in most of these patients were materially benefitted.
2. The most striking results were obtained in several bedridden cases, who by the use of the drug, were enabled to walk, dress and feed themselves.
3. In all patients there was a return of symptoms when the drug was withdrawn.
4. In this larger series, our results were not quite as good as they were in cases previously reported by us.
5. The degenerative type of the disease did not respond to the treatment as well as the postencephalitic variety, nor did that type tolerate the drug as well.
6. It is our opinion that this drug is decidedly more efficacious as a palliative treatment than the single alkaloids or other drugs which have been used in this disease.
Acknowledgment is hereby given to our co-workers in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Medical College of Virginia, to the superintendents and clinical directors of the Central State Hospital and the Southwestern State Hospital in Virginia, and to several colleagues who treated several cases in this series.
