When one finds a legend associated with a disease it may be accepted as a general rule that little is known about its true cause. This is exemplified by Huntington's chorea, of which it is said that the original case was a man who imitated Christ's agony on the Cross. A great deal of work has been done on this complaint, but much of it has been to do no more than to confirm the findings of Abel Huntington, who recognized its hereditary nature in 1797.