Marsden's Book of Movement Disorders

Book excerpt: This book represents the final work of the late Professor C. David Marsden, who was the most influential figure in the field of movement disorders, in terms of his contributions to both research and clinical practice, in the modern era. It was conceived and written by David Marsden and his colleague at the Institute of Neurology, Prof. Ivan Donaldson. It was their intention that this would be the most comprehensive book on movement disorders and also that it would serve as the 'clinical Bible' for the management of these conditions. It provides a masterly survey of the entire topic, which has been made possible only by vast laboratory and bedside experience. Marsden's Book of Movement Disorders covers the full breadth of movement disorders, from the underlying anatomy and understanding of basal ganglia function to the diagnosis and management of specific movement disorders, including the more common conditions such as Parkinson's Disease through to rare, and very rare conditions such as Niemann-Pick disease. Chapters follow a structured format with historical overviews, definitions, clinical features, differential diagnosis, investigations and treatment covered in a structured way. It is extensively illustrated with many original photographs and diagrams of historical significance. Among these illustrations are still images of some original film clips of some of Dr. Marsden's patients published here for the first time. Comprehensively referenced and updated by experts from the Institute of Neurology at Queen Square, this book is a valuable reference for, not just movement disorder specialists and researchers, but also for clinicians who care for patients with movement disorders.