Tourette's Syndrome, neurological disorder
characterized by involuntary body movements (tics) and vocal, sometimes obscene,
outbursts. A rare disorder, it is named after a French doctor, Georges Gilles de
la Tourette, who first described it in 1885. The syndrome commonly appears in
childhood-more often in males than females-and may worsen thereafter; the cause
is unknown. No cure yet exists, but symptoms are often treatable with
neuroleptic drugs such as haloperidol.
