Book Review Oliver Sacks shares his clinical stories of fascinating neurological disorders in his book, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. The book contains 24 case studies in which Dr Sacks introduces readers to the lives of several individuals he was working with at the Institute of Defectology. Sacks informs readers of cases involving brain deficiency, memory loss and vivid imaginations which are shared in four parts of the book including Losses, Excesses, Transports and The World of The Simple. In The World of The Simple, readers are introduced to the cognitively impaired. This book review will share a review of the cases presented by Sacks in the world of the simple with an in-depth view of the autist artist. The first case readers …show more content…
are introduced to is Rebecca, described by Sacks as “clumsy, uncouth, all-of-a-fumble” (Sacks, 189). The neurological conditions affecting her include apraxia, agnosia, sensorimotor impairments and limitations in her intellectual schemata. She experiences confusion with left and right, puts clothes on back to front and has poor co-ordination. It’s her desire for story reading, nature and poetry in which she presents composure. The conclusion Dr Sacks makes regarding Rebecca’s case is that neurologists focus on the defects of the patient and that each patient requires different help methods to allow for progression. A Walking Grove shares the story of Martin, who has Parkinson’s disease and is unable to look after himself and requires the assistance of others. Due to his condition he views the world in a child like manner. However despite this he has an amazing but intriguing musical memory. He is able to remember the music to 2000 operas, the artists and dates of the performances. Sacks admits he initially viewed Martin negatively, believing that he wasn’t naturally clever. However Sacks concludes that Martin’s passion for music is authentic and that those similar to Martin do have a genuine intelligence. The Autist Artist follows the case of José with the neurological condition of autism and who also experiences violent seizures.
Care workers dismiss José and refer to him as an idiot due to his inability to use words and because of autism. However Dr Sacks disregards this and reveals José’s artistic abilities. When given a pen and paper José produces intense drawings, allowing him to show his talent and produce a picture which makes the original lack in character. José’s has lived much of his life away from the outside world and used his drawings as his only connection. Before José’s diagnosis he and his father often sketched together. The conclusion Dr Sacks makes regarding the case is that regardless of José’s condition he is extremely gifted and that those with autism are in isolation due to the limited connection between the individual and the outside. The Twins is the final case study in the section. It follows John and Michael who are known for their exceptional memory and mathematical skills. Unable to complete basic maths but excel in complicated mathematical situations. Sacks describes how a box of 111 matches fell and how the twins instantly knew how many there were. The conclusion Dr Sacks makes regarding the twins is that they are different from society; they have a passion for numbers and figures and view numbers from a detailed
perspective. Sacks has portrayed that individuals should be acknowledged for their qualities, rather than their disorder and eradicating the negative judgements and views that individuals with disorders are associated with. The usefulness of the case studies is that it gives readers an insight into human disorders, how it is handled in clinical settings and the unexpected abilities of the individual. However the limitation of the case studies is that Sacks initially describes the individuals such as Rebecca negatively before revealing their abilities, therefore conforming to some people’s view in society of those deemed as simple. The book is beneficial to undergraduate psychology students, especially those studying neurology or health. This is due to the book giving readers an insight in to the different neurological conditions they may come across in clinics, the symptoms associated with it and also how it is treated by professionals.
These two essays are about two dissimilar disabilities. Nancy Mairs and David Sedaris act as examples of how an author’s writing can change the tone and meaning of a narrative. Mairs message was educational and encouraging as she explained her life with MS and how society sees her. Sedaris use of experience and memories portrays his life with obsessive-compulsive disorder; what he calls “tics”. These two writers take similar topics and pitch them in ways so the reader can see the illustration behind them.
On October 9, 1968, a set of twins were born, but separated at birth and ultimately, put up for adoption. The decision to separate the twins came from the adoption agency who wanted to conduct a nature versus nurture experiment; however, the experiment was conducted in secret. However, for unknown reasons, the experiment never developed to fruition. Unaware the child they adopted was a twin; both sets of parents raised a singular child. Thirty-five years later, one twin began a search for her biological mother through the adoption agency, only to find out that she was born a twin. Upon learning her identity, she reached out to her twin and they began the journey of getting to know one another by comparing characteristics that appeared similar such as temperament and mannerism. They even discovered that they both held positions as a film critic and enjoyed almost identical movies.
Losses, Excesses, Transports, and The World of the Simple are all four topics in the book “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales,” by Oliver Sacks. You might not understand what those mean or discuss until you realize who Oliver Sacks is. Oliver Sacks is a Neurologist who has had the chance to take upon these twenty-four case studies and share them in a book. The book is more focused on neurological functions, different forms of the mind, and hallucinations/visions. All of these are related to the first few chapters in our Psychology textbook (Chapters 2,3,6,8,10). Oliver Sacks gives us clear insight into the mind of those that perceive things much differently than most. It is a clear insight to what most of us are curious about but may not fully understand.
The novel, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks, is a neurological and psychological journal of Dr. Oliver Sacks’s patients. He describes each one of his patients illnesses into twenty-four short stories. These short stories are split into 4 parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, and The World of the Simple.
Whilst the concept of autism and what it means to be autistic is still widely unrecognised by many, Mark Haddon’s use of conventions of prose fiction and language amplifies the distinctive qualities of the text. Haddon exemplifies key themes such as the struggle to become independent, the nature of difference and the disorder of life through the strategic placement of literary devices.
Redfield Jamison explores the compelling connection between mental disorders and artistic creativity. Artists have long been considered different from the general population, and one often hears tales of authors, painters, and composers who both struggle with and are inspired by their "madness". Jamison's text explores these stereotypes in a medical context, attributing some artists' irrational behaviors to mental disorders, particularly manic-depressive illness. In order to establish this link, Jamison presents an impressive collection of artists who have suffered from mental illness, whether diagnosed correctly during their lifetime or discovered in hindsight. Well organized and interesting, Jamison provides an ideal introduction to this still
Oliver Sacks, MD, FRCP, was a neurologist and professor of neurology at NYU School of Medicine. He is also a best selling author, and is know by the New York Times as “the poet laureate of medicine.” He worked with music and music therapy and wrote Musicophilia: Tales of Music and The Brain (Knopf, 2007).
Mairs, Nancy. “On Being a Cripple.” Writer’s Presence: A Pool of Readings. 5th ed. Ed. Robert Atawan and Donald McQuade. Boston:Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 183-193. Print
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks is a novel composed of tales of some patients he dealt with while working as a neurologist. The title of the book is derived from a case of a man with visual agnosia, which impairs the ability to recognize visually presented objects. Within this book are twenty-four tales akin to this condition. Amongst them is a story of The Disembodied Lady, which describes Catherine’s unique condition: proprioception. The base example in this case is perception, particularly bodily position and proprioception, while the target example is the protagonist’s disembodiment; her inability to sense her body, as if she was receiving no information form the periphery, and had lost her position senses.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Written By: Dr. Oliver Sacks. Although the title suggests a comical book, Oliver Sacks presents an entirely different look at the mentally challenged/disturbed. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a book that explains why a patient shows signs of loss, excesses, transport, and simplicity. Coincidentally, the book opens with its titling story, letting the reader explore the mind of an accomplished doctor who seems to have lost his true sight of life.
This scene may sound weird to neurologically-typical (NT), or “normal”, people, but it does demonstrate the coping strategies of people with autism, as exhibited through this scene from Rain Man. Charlie Babbitt, a neurologically typical adult, does not understand how his brother, Raymond Babbitt, who is a high-functioning autistic, functions in his little world that he has created. Manifestations of autism such as this indicate to people how an autistic was seen as “like a wolf” (Pollak 258) in older definitions. Recently, though, people are beginning to understand that the problem is organic, or biologically based, as opposed to the psychogenic, or psychologically based, hypothesis of the past. With the release of Rain Man came the increased understanding of autistics and a willingness to find out what autistics are thinking, thus i...
In his essay "Autism and Culture," Joseph Straus discusses the recreation of the concept of autism as a cultural and social category rather than a medical one. He also discusses how, as autistic community has emerged, autistic people have begun to look for historical figures that could be identified as autistic. Straus calls this practice "extremely problematic" (Straus 464) because he feels that the concept of autism is a modern social construction and that classifying historical figures as autistic denies this. However, associating prominent historical figures with autism has the benefit of providing autistic communities with role models and a sense of community through their shared history. Attempting to diagnose historical figures with
A narrative is constructed to elicit a particular response from its audience. In the form of a written story, authors use specific narrative strategies to position the ‘ideal reader’ to attain the intended understanding of the meanings in the text. Oliver Sacks’ short story The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is an unusual short story because it does not display conventional plot development; the story does not contain conflict or resolution of conflict. The genre of the story is also difficult to define because it reads as an autobiographical account of an experience Sacks had with a patient while working as a neurologist. Although it is arguable that the narrative is a work of non-fiction, it is nevertheless a representation, distinct from a reflection of the real events. It is a construction, Sacks chose the elements that were included and omitted in the narrative and used narrative strategies to position readers to process the signs in the text and produce reach the dominant understanding. This blurring of truth and fiction is similar to that in the genre of ‘new journalism’. Although, rather than being a journalist writing a fictional piece of journalism, Sacks is a doctor writing a fictional medical analysis. To influence readers’ comprehension of the narrative, Sacks utilised the point of view strategy of subjective narration, atypical in this short story in that a characterisation or representation of Oliver Sacks is the narrator and Oliver Sacks the person is the real author. The story is character-driven rather than plot-driven and regardless of how accurate a depiction of the real people the characters are, they are constructions. Sacks gave the characters of Doctor P. and his namesake admirable and sympathetic trait...
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with a disease in which you have not been diagnosed and nobody can find a diagnosis for you? John Elder wrote Look Me In The Eye to tell the reader stories of his life, from family struggles, friends, and his own issues. Through writing, he had hopes to give a reader insight to his life and see what the life of someone with Asperger’s is truly like, he wanted to give all people and people with Asperger’s information on a topic to see what it’s like. Elder uses ethos, pathos and logos, along with the use of detail and diction to tie all of these together and to create a story which a reader will remember and learn something valuable from.
Cognitive psychologists investigate processes using case studies of brain-damaged patients, these are then analysed to build models that represent normal cognitive processes. This essay will examine the contribution case studies have made to the development of cognitive neuropsychology as a discipline in its own right and draw attention to issues surrounding the use of brain damaged patients to infer cognitive functions and processes. At the same time, it will evaluate the contribution that case studies have made to our understanding of cognitive processes.