The Case of the Frozen Addict Nova : Season 13 Episode 5
TV-PG PBS 1h 00m int(0)
Aired: February 18th, 1986 @ 9:00 PM EST on PBS
In July 1982, a 42-year-old addict in a San Jose, California jail became paralyzed—unable to move or talk. His symptoms, caused by a bad batch of synthetic heroin, were indistinguishable from those associated with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative nerve disorder that strikes the elderly. NOVA traces the story of a "designer" drug which could lead to a major medical breakthrough.