The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales Paperback

Author: Visit Amazon's Oliver Sacks Page - ISBN: 0684853949 - Language: English - Format: PDF, EPUB

DESCRIPTION

From Publishers Weekly

A neurologist who claims to be equally interested in disease and people, Sacks (Awakenings, etc.) explores neurological disorders with a novelist's skill and an appreciation of his patients as human beings. These cases, some of which have appeared in literary or medical publications, illustrate the tragedy of losing neurological facultiesmemory, powers of visualization, word-recognitionor the also-devastating fate of those suffering an excess of neurological functions causing such hyper states as chorea, tics, Tourette's syndrome and Parkinsonism. Still other patients experience organically based hallucinations, transports, visions, etc., usually deemed to be psychic in nature. The science of neurology, Sacks charges, stresses the abstract and computerized at the expense of judgment and emotional depthsin his view, the most important human qualities. Therapy for brain-damaged patients (by medication, accommodation, music or art) should, he asserts, be designed to help restore the essentially personal quality of the individual. First serial to New York Review of Books, The Sciences and Science; Reader's Subscription alternate. January
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Neurologist Sacks, author of Awakenings and A Leg To Stand On , presents a series of clinical tales drawn from fascinating and unusual cases encountered during his years of medical practice. Dividing his text into four parts"losses" of neurological function; "excesses"; "transports" involving reminiscence, altered perception, and imagination; and "the simple," or the world of the retardedSacks introduces the reader to real people who suffer from a variety of neurological syndromes which include symptoms such as amnesia, uncontrolled movements, and musical hallucinations. Sacks recounts their stories in a riveting, compassionate, and thoughtful manner. Written on a somewhat scholarly level, the book is highly recommended for larger collections. Debra Berlanstein, Towson State Univ. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical Tales Oliver Sacks on Amazon com FREE shipping on qualifying offers In his The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Wikipedia the The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales is a 1985 book by neurologist Oliver Sacks describing the case histories of some of his patients The The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and other The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and other clinical tales by Oliver Sacks 1970 1981 1983 1984 1985 by Oliver Sacks All rights reserved The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical Paperback Hardcover THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT brings together The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical Tales The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical Tales Kindle edition by Oliver Sacks Format Paperback It is utterly

DETAILS

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (April 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684853949
• ISBN-13: 978-0684853949
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Physiological Aspects
  • #1 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Social Scientists & Psychologists
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REVIEWS

It is utterly fascinating to know that, as a result of a neurological condition, a man can actually mistake his wife for a hat and not realize it. It is also fascinating to learn that a stroke can leave a person with the inability to see things on one side of the visual field--which is what happened to "Mrs. S." as recalled in the chapter, "Eyes Right!"--and yet not realize that anything is missing. In both cases there was nothing wrong with the patient's eyes; it was the brain's processing of the visual information that had gone haywire.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks, who has a wonderful way with words and a strong desire to understand and appreciate the human being that still exists despite the disorder or neurological damage, treats the reader to these and twenty-two other tales of the bizarre in this very special book. My favorite tale is Chapter 21, "Rebecca," in which Dr. Sacks shows that a person of defective intelligence--a "moron"--is still a person with a sense of beauty and with something to give to the world. Sacks generously (and brilliantly) shows how Rebecca taught him the limitations of a purely clinical approach to diagnosis and treatment. Although the child-like 19-year-old didn't have the intelligence to "find her way around the block" or "open a door with a key," Rebecca had an emotional understanding of life superior to many adults. She loved her grandmother deeply and when she died, Rebecca expressed her feelings to Sacks, "I'm crying for me, not for her...She's gone to her Long Home." She added, poetically, "I'm so cold. It's not outside, it's winter inside. Cold as death...She was a part of me. Part of me died with her" (p. 182). Rebecca goes on to show Dr.

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