Prisoners of Hope
Multiple sclerosis is the major crippling disease of the Western world. In the UK alone there are 50,000 victims. Apart from the human suffering, the annual cost has been estimated at over £30 million.
Yet very little is known about this disease. Intensive efforts throughout the world have failed to find either cause or cure. Research reveals more riddles than solutions. Why should MS be so common in the Orkneys and Shetlands - six times the world average - when it's almost never seen in the neighbouring Faroes? What lies behind the claim that sunflower seed oil eases symptoms? Is there a connection with measles?
Tonight's Horizon attempts to unravel some of the mystery. It finds false trails - but also some threads of genuine hope.
Narrator PAUL VAUGHAN
Editor SIMON CAMPBELL-JONES
Written and produced by VIVIENNE KING