Osbourne treated by Tufts doctor

The Prince of Darkness will eventually restart his tour, thanks to the Chairman of Tufts' Neurology department.

Ozzy Osbourne, one of the forefathers of heavy metal music and reality TV star of The Osbournes, recently spent three weeks receiving treatment from Dr. Allan Ropper for a condition of nervous tremors that had seriously affected the singer's motor abilities.

"[Osbourne's] tremor is coming under control with medication," said Ropper, who is the Chief of Neurology at the Tufts-affiliated Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton.

"Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the medication is dry mouth, which will definitely affect Mr. Osbourne's ability to sing."

As a result, Osbourne's European concert tour, which was scheduled to begin in Dublin, Ireland on Oct. 22, has been postponed until January 2004.

"I was at the point where it felt as if this problem was practically destroying my life along with my self-esteem," Osbourne said in a statement. "I am grateful to my physician, Dr. Allan H. Ropper, that I am now home with my family and on the path to getting my life back."

Speculation that he might have Parkinson's disease led Osbourne to Ropper, who in the past had treated Parkinson's patient and TV star Michael J. Fox. However, Ropper was quick to rule out Parkinson's disease as Osbourne's affliction.

Sophomore Samuel Ronfard found the connection between Tufts and celebrities curious. He questioned, "If the medical school is of such a caliber to attract celebrities why is there no outreach to students?"

"Clearly if a doctor is of a high enough caliber to be treating Osbourne he should have something to contribute to the greater community."

Osbourne, 54, said that he had had the tremors since his 20's, but that they had been worsening. The condition, which he inherited from his mother's family, impeded his speech and left him with severe bodily vibrations that made walking painful.