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He discusses "the disembodied lady" who had lost all her proprioception, the sense of movement, but was able to somewhat reintegrate into society by using auditory and visual feedback systems to replace the loss of function in her vestibular system, made possible by the plasticity of the nervous system. The only criticism that I can levy at Sacks is that he sometimes fails to fully expound upon important terms and ideas when discussing his tales, such as "proprioception" and "plasticity"- but even the layperson can understand these terms by using a dictionary and some context from the book. The point of this section was to describe some neurological disorders that cause a loss in a normal brain function and the consequences this can have on the victim. He writes about a few more interesting patients such as a man who could not recognize his own leg and patients who imagined a limb where none existed. The recent explosion of neurological discoveries and therapies developed on them (the `90s have been dubbed the "Decade of the Brain") shows that Sacks was correct in his enthusiasm and hope for neuroscience.
This quote, about the "disembodied lady," underscores one of the main points of this book - our lack of understanding about uncommon neurological disorders, many of which don't even have words to describe it.The next part of the book is about "Excesses" or a superabundance of some brain function. The reader thus gains an appreciation of importance of neuroscience as a science which has tremendous potential to elucidate the causes and cures for these disorders. He discusses patients such as Mr. As neurological studies confirm, people learn more when they are emotionally involved in what they are being taught, and Sacks' presentation of these stories in a well rounded but first person view allows readers to sympathize and even empathize with the patients, though not enough to let the reader lose focus of whatever disorder Sacks' is trying to describe. Sacks alternates between a light and serious tone throughout most of the book to discuss the lives of these patients.
"But none of us had ever encountered, even imagined, such a power of amnesia, the possibility of a pit into which everything, every experience, every event, would fathomlessly drop, a bottomless memory-hole that would engulf the whole world" (22). BRIEF SYNOPSIS WITH COMMENTARYThe first section of the book, "Losses" introduces the title character: "The Man who Mistook his wife for a Hat", a man with visual agnosia whose visual system had deteriorated or been damaged to such an extent that he could no longer even distinguish the face of his wife without using some abstract shapes or features of her face as a guideline. The final part of the book is called "The World of the Simple," in which Sacks explores the clinical neuroscience of mental retardates. Sacks displays evidence that each case has an organic component and thus is squarely in his realm of clinical neuroscience. She has no words, and we lack words too. After reading this section, the reader can definitely understand the importance of looking at all neurological disorders from a physiological basis before dismissing its victims as "crazy."In the third part of the book, "Transports", Sacks writes about seemingly psychological conditions in which the patient's perception is altered.
As Sacks explains, excess brain function such as mania has been relegated to psychiatry and physiological bases for these disorders have been seldom studied. "She continues to feel, with the continuing loss of proprioception, that her body is dead, not-real, not-hers.She can find no words for this state.She has no words, no direct words, to describe this bereftness, this sensory darkness (or silence) akin to blindness or deafness. However, as the quote above implies, Sacks does not stray from highlighting the importance of studying these disorders and the extreme lack of understanding and frustration along with the few victories he achieved while treating these disorders. Each patient account usually also has a "postscript" in which Sacks tries to present the relevance the account has to the broader world of neuroscience. Sacks was able to discern that Jose was much more than a simple "Xerox machine" as his attendant had also claimed by observing his drawing and his drawing process. The story of Jose was particularly striking - a budding artist who could not speak and was categorized as an "idiot" by his attendant. And society lacks words, and sympathy, for such states" (30). Each of the patients in this section suffered from an excess of brain function and often sought help from psychiatrists before seeing Sacks.
For instance, in part three "Transports, Sacks discusses the importance of the bizarre case of Mrs. Oliver Sacks' "The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat" is an interesting foray into the bizarre neurological disorders present in the world of clinical neuroscience (as it was in the 1980s). One of the most striking quotes from the book and one that really helps the reader understand Sacks motivation was what Sacks revealed about Jose after writing about his account: ".could he, with his peculiarities, his idiosyncrasy, do drawings for fairy tales, nursery tales, Bible tales, myths.[However], as the stars stand, he will probably do nothing, and spend a useless, fruitless life, as so many other autistic people do, overlooked, unconsidered, in the back ward of a state hospital" (115). Sacks places a great deal on emphasis on the fact that those with mental disabilities may just be extraordinarily atypical, that is, they may be unable to understand the abstract concepts of the world yet be gifted in understanding the world as symbols. O'C, who awoke from a dream to hear old songs being played in her head, without stopping - a case which was ultimately revealed to be caused by mini-temporal lobe seizures rather than some sort of madness. O'C: "Such cases are exciting and precious, for they serve as a bridge between the physical and personal, and they will point, if we let them, to the neurology of the future, a neurology of living experience" (72).OVERALL IMPRESSIONSSacks has succeeded in providing accounts of diseases which the reader will probably not have heard of, or if they have, as in the case of cerebral palsy, Sacks will explain what is different from the normal disease. Sacks' is essentially able to put a face to a disease and thus make it more relatable and understandable. He goes on to talk about Jimmy the amnesiac who lost the ability to form new memories (whom the quote in the beginning of this review is about).
I believe that Sacks' style of using clinical tales to describe these neurological disorders help the reader learn more than if it was just presented in a textbook manner. Thompson who suffered from memory loss but would try to make up for it by making up a number of stories and identities that he interacted with. Mrs. Each account is made short and sweet, providing the reader with the condition the patient suffers from, his symptoms, prognosis, diagnosis, and most importantly, Sacks commentary. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and informative read - just keep in mind that you may require a dictionary or encyclopedia to understand a few of the terms if you have no background in neuroscience.
The mentally retarded are far too often dismissed as being bound to a mundane existence. Somber, comical, encouraging, dispiriting, outlandish, but always fascinating. Sacks shatters this misconception as he takes a personal interest in his patients and shows them to be both capable and rich in deep inner experiences. These could all describe the patient case histories presented by Sacks in his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. The fourth and final part of this book, The World of the Simple, contains four chapters describing the experiences of the mentally retarded. An example of this would be one woman's terrifying loss of proprioception, detailed in the chapter called The Disembodied Lady. Many would be tempted to simply write her off as crazy, but Sacks patiently and diligently discovers the neurological culprit behind the unwanted musical renditions.
Part two of his book explores the opposite spectrum of neurology, Excesses. The first, entitled Losses, deals with neurological deficits. He starts this section of the book with an interesting look at the pathophysiology of Tourette's Syndrome manifested in one of his patients, nicknamed Witty Ticcy Ray. A humble appreciation of human frailty is key in treating these cases with compassion and understanding.
Oliver Sacks spent his career as a clinical neurologist. Another fascinating case history in this section of the book is the amphetamine-induced hyperosmia of a young medical student. His weeks-long experience with a "dog's nose" truly makes one wonder about the vibrant everyday realities that often escape our physical senses. After reading through his interactions with these patients, I'm fairly convinced he dubbed this section The World of the Simple with tongue in cheek. Transports refers to massive alterations in one's perceptions and inner experiences. Point being, dedicated and caring neurologists such as Oliver Sacks are working hard through their writings and their clinical practice to bring us to an understanding of the delicate underpinnings behind our human existence. The author is at the top of his game in medical expertise, yet manages to go far beyond the mere mechanics of neurology and embrace the mysterious humanity of his patients.Sacks divides his book into four different sections. This section focuses primarily on autism.I believe that one of the biggest catalysts to compassion is knowledge.
The third part of the book delves into the strange world of Transports. One chapter chronicles the experiences of a woman who couldn't escape hearing loud radio-quality Irish music in her head. Without a proper medical diagnosis these patients could have been carelessly relegated to the ranks of the crazy, the inferior, the hopeless, as if such ranks even existed. Anyone who reads this work by Oliver sacks will grow leaps and bounds in such understanding.
And I know I'm going to reread it sooner rather than later. Because I've been obsessing recently about memory and memory loss, this passage in particular, from a letter from Dr. I'd sit in the New York City subway trains and think about reading but not. I didn't want this book to end. And read this book. It's also striking to note how complex and tenuous our grasp of reality is, how many ways there are to lose it.
He invokes stories, elevates them, shows how neurology, and medicine in general, have forgotten about people and why it's imperative for the profession, for the world.
Dr.
Luria, struck me as being so nuanced and smart and ultimately, comforting: "A man does not consist of memory alone.
I started slowing down even as I wanted to keep going.
Sacks' mentor, A.R.
Sacks goes through a multitude of clinical case studies, within four different categories of right brain disorders (those that disrupt our sense/perception of reality): losses, excesses, transports, and the world of the simple.
Throughout the book, he is constantly engaging with the human condition, overwhelmingly compassionate, curious, lyrical.
He has feeling, will, sensibilities, moral being, matters of which neuropsychology cannot speak."Would that we all know this.
It's one of the best I've ever read.
Great book. The mechanics and word usage in the book are a bit dated, though.
an interesting book. make u think about the human nature, see deep through whatever was hidden there.
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