Poison in Paradise: Guam Disease

Abstract

Guam disease, found only on that small Pacific island, causes symptoms strikingly similar to Parkinson?s, Lou Gehrig?s, and Alzheimer's diseases, but it is not hereditary. In this program, neurologist/author Oliver Sacks travels to Guam in order to investigate this lethal illness. Prior studies done by epidemiologists, toxicologists, anthropologists, and other neurologists have raised suspicions over the water supply, the soil, the local fish, and even the nuts of indigenous cycads. However, as scientists continue to study and hypothesize, incidence of this disease that has plagued the islanders for a century is dropping. If a cure is to be discovered?providing valuable insights into other neurological disorders?it will have to be soon, or Guam disease may disappear on its own. A BBC Production. (50 minutes, color