The Surgical Treatment of Parkinsonism

Until recent years the surgical treatment of Parkin- sonism has been largely confined to interruption of the cortico-spinal pathways at various levels: at the cerebral cortex, internal capsule, cerebral peduncle, and spinal cord. The results of these different procedures and their associated morbidity were not encouraging, and the physiological basis of their application was not sufficiently secure to inspire confidence in the pursuit of the problem in this way.