Chapter 4, Problem 11TYU

WRITE ABOUT A THEME: ORGANIZATION In 1918, an epidemic of sleeping sickness caused an unusual rigid paralysis in some survivors, similar to symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease. Years later, L-dopa (below, left), a chemical used to treat Parkinson's disease, was given to some of these patients. L-dopa was remarkably effective at eliminating the paralysis, at least temporarily. However, its enantiomer, D-dopa (right), was subsequently shown to have no effect at all, as is the case for Parkinson's disease. In a short essay (100-150 words), discuss how the effectiveness of one enantiomer and not the other illustrates the theme of structure and function.