The restless legs of a Nantucket farmer

Ekbom's syndrome of restless legs is common but not restricted primarily to the elderly. Records of familial occurrence and association with several pathologic disorders preclude exclusive age-association. Most cases of the syndrome in the general population are seen in persons of middle or old age. Lack of awareness of the frequency of the syndrome and lack of an adequate dependable form of treatment attest the need for additional study. Historical documentation is one way of alerting the profession to the nature, frequency and lineage of a clinical disorder that requires an accepted form of amelioration. Notes from the 1870-73 diary of a Nantucket farmer are presented.