This extremely fascinating non-fictional book was first published in 1985 which has a collection of approximately 24 case studies of patients by neurologist Dr Oliver Wolf Sacks, written and presented in a noteworthy readable style. Throughout the book, Dr Sacks brings several astonishing cases where even slight damage in certain neurological functions of a person may grossly affect their behaviour, senses and memories. Most of the disorders that have been introduced in this book were Retrograde Amnesia, Tonal Agnosia, Visual Agnosia, Sensory neuropathies, Parkinson’s, Autism and Tourette’s. Dr Sacks also explains the potential neuroscientific implications of such cases and often refers to the psychological concepts such as soul, id, ego, super-go.
The title of the book is about his first case study on “Dr P” who has Visual Agnosia and here I would like to quote these interesting lines which would give an idea of what this book is about: “He reached out his hand, and took hold of his wife’s head, tried to lift it off, to put it on. He had apparently mistaken his wife for a hat! His wife looked as if she was used to such things.”
While the stories of each case are interesting yet bizarre, it is a mix of tragedy, warmth and huge inspiration. It’s truly appreciable love how Dr Sacks was able to intertwine the clinical and personal aspects of his cases into stories which brings a clear and accessible understanding of the mechanism behind the abnormal brain which certainly brings a much empathetic view into the lives of his patients. It’s a pure delight to read Dr Sacks’ leniency towards his patients and how he handled each one of them with utmost care and delicacy. This book is enjoyable, informative, moving and especially a celebration of imperfections. I would certainly recommend this book, although some background in biological science would be helpful to comprehend specific medical terminologies and would like to end with Dr Sacks words “The final therapy, as Freud said, is work and love.”
Meghali Aich is a PhD student in RNA Biology lab, CSIR-IGIB and currently working in the area of Stem cell Biology, trying to elucidate the role of a novel pluripotency determinant. Besides sciencing, she is a bibliophile with an extensive appetite for different genres of fiction. She also ardently believes in working hard and traveling farther!