Brussels battleground for primate research debate  The debate on
primate testing rages as a revision to an EC directive
regulating animal research makes its way through the EU
parliament. Sophie Petit-Zeman reports Laboratory macques
monkeys Laboratory macques monkeys, used in testing for medical
research. Photograph: RDS/Wellcome Trust  "After 15 minutes the
'doctor' said, with no trace of a smile, 'About six generations
ago you had syphilis in your family, you have worms in your
brain and your tremor occurs when the worms fart'. I was so
relieved to be diagnosed with something other than stress that I
accepted this without a second thought. It was only later I
began to have doubts. Farting worms in my brain seemed so
implausible."  Many doctors and four years later, Mike Robins'
progressively severe tremor was diagnosed as Parkinson's disease
(PD). While hospitalised for an emergency appendectomy in
Shanghai, he became friends with a neurologist, teaching her
English as he recovered, and she realised what w