[History of discoveries and advances in the studies of parkinsonism]

A review is presented of the more important discoveries and advances in the 175-year history of the studies and therapeutic trials on parkinsonism. The personality and achievements of James Parkinson are described, with a brief discussion on his most important paper "An Essay on Shaking Palsy". The important works of clinicians, neuropathologists and pharmacologists in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially in the "era of L-DOPA", are reviewed. The development of neurosurgical methods of parkinsonism treatment, including intracerebral grafting of dopamine-producing cells, is outlined.