Interesting to note that chemical therapies still in use today for PD were found outside the realm of established medical science, coming mostly from the empirical knowledge of plants effects on humans and animals observed and passed through geenerations. For example, the "Bulgarian" formula, a plant decoction, was the work of a bulgarian peasant herbalist who enjoyed fame and fortune with it. Facts where ahead of theoretical studies. Even the first synthetic drugs for PD were simply slight modifications (patentable) of fitochemicals isolated from plants known to be effective in PD. Did you know that the exact pharmacology or mode of action for Artane, the most successful anticholinergic-PD synthetic drug. ever, has not been elucidated to this day. All it`s known for sure is that it works, but how? Nobody really knows (google Artane to see for yourself) Even the designation of anticholinergics to embrace all maner of chemicals from plants used for PD prior to the introduction of L-dopa, is disputed today by many as too simplistic as best.

The L-Dopa story is representative of somewhat an opposite and curious feature in the advancement of any human endevour, namely, the resistance generated in the established body of knowledge, against anything new. In reading the historical events that led to the use of of L-Dopa- "the gold std" -, one find that the men who advanced the theoretical foundation that led to L-Dopa, chiefly Arvid Carlsson, were met by doubts at best if not outright rejection , from the established authorities in that field of knowledge. Again, the stubborn facts, in experiment after experiment resulting in the same elevated levels of dopamine following administration of L-dopa, reported by many that forced the acceptance of its theoretical foundations.

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"An interesting paper was published by the sociologist Bernard Barber in Science in 1961 regarding the "resistance by scientists to scientific discovery". Amongst the factors discussed which might be pertinent here were problems caused by methodologies, professional specialization within a particular field, the existance of scientific "schools" of thought and the relative seniority of the investigators involved"
End quote

May I add that, following the last paragraph, it is not rear to find todays "pioneers" turn into tomorrow's "stallwarts", Einstein being a classic example.
Therefore, in trying to find solutions to a problem, it seems a good thing to keep an open mind and allow for "out of the envelope" approaches.

This in no way intends to add or detract from the credibility of the gentleman Commings raised by Thelma and downed by Lara, I'm not qualified to dictate anything on him.