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    #1

    Neurologist and author Dr. Oliver Sacks died

    Dr. Oliver Sacks, who has written several well-known books describing neurological problems observed in his patients, has died.

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    I've read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, An Anthropologist on Mars, and A Leg to Stand On and am currently reading Hallucinations.

    Although I can't recall that he ever dealt with an MS case in the books I've read, his books are interesting and well done, I think.
    SPMS diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2006-2009. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate = Copaxone) 12/20 - 3/19/24.
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    #2
    Originally posted by agate View Post
    Dr. Oliver Sacks, who has written several well-known books describing neurological problems observed in his patients, has died.

    Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

    I've read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, An Anthropologist on Mars, and A Leg to Stand On and am currently reading Hallucinations.

    Although I can't recall that he ever dealt with an MS case in the books I've read, his books are interesting and well done, I think.
    I want to read his autobiography, it seems there was a lot to his life that I wasn't aware of.

    A good man and doctor.

    I found a compilation of his contributions to The New Yorker that I've been reading.

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      #3
      He was such a beautiful, kind man. I read many of his books too and used to copy sections of "the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat". I used those sections in my teaching. They led to wonderful discussions and admiration for the amazing strengths people have in dealing with neurological illness.
      Linda~~~~

      Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says:"Oh Crap, She's up!"..

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        #4
        I was surprised to find out that someone in the disability community has criticized him for being "the man who mistook his patients for a literary career." I don't think that's a fair criticism at all--and I'm not sure what it means, either.

        I have no idea whether he neglected his patients in favor of his writing, but by writing as well as he did and about topics that aren't often described for the general public, he was doing a service, I think. Many people must have become aware of what neurological disorders can do to people, thanks to him.
        SPMS diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2006-2009. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate = Copaxone) 12/20 - 3/19/24.

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          #5
          I found that he humanized illnesses, including his own, rather than objectified patients. He had an interest in the idiosyncracies of the wiring of the mind, and wanted to share the phenomenon with his readers. He was a very talented writer.

          According to his Wikipedia page, he practiced neurology for many, many years, as well as teaching, and trying to understand and analyze case histories, including his own.

          I haven't read his memoir, but from what I've read about him, he wasn't interested in success so much as sharing these fascinating neurological case histories with the public. Apparently, he kept copious notes on countless patients, he had a deep care and concern for them...it wasn't for publication purposes, although he did end up publishing a select few.

          I have nothing but respect and appreciation for his contribution to our understanding of the human mind.
          Please Note that my posts may have been arbitrarily altered by a Moderator and may not reflect my original content.

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            #6
            Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

            Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

            Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
            Please Note that my posts may have been arbitrarily altered by a Moderator and may not reflect my original content.

            Per Mike Weins: "...the admin/mod team doesn't have to provide a forewarning/warning/mention about altering a members post. It doesn't matter if they fix a link, remove a link, fix a typo, or whatever...."

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              #7
              I was very sad to hear he passed when I turned on the news the other day. :( I find his explanations of neurologic conditions interesting. He calls the signal in CP "the bully" I think and it's kinda true cuz the signal is relentless LOL. I heard he met with a dancer with Cerebral Palsy named Gregg Mozgala at one point in a blog post. RIP Sacks.
              Mild Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy and bad proprioception.
              My website for my original short films! http://cripvideoproductions.com/astrokeofendurance.php

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                #8
                Oliver Sacks was an interesting man and a kind soul who will live on in his writings.
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                  #9
                  Hi,
                  I copied this from the blog of Richard Cohen who is the husband of Meredith Viera. He has PPMS. He was a journalist with CBS. Viera was a host of the TV program "The View" for many years and then was Matt Lauer's cohost. she is also a journalist.
                  Linda




                  Oliver Sacks

                  by Richard M. Cohen on August 31, 2015 in JOURNEYMAN
                  Any one living with a mystifying neurological disorder should take note that Oliver Sacks died yesterday. Sacks was a physician, a neurologist of note and a towering literary figure. He brought neurological disorders to life. His book, The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, helped me to understand, even appreciate, the startling conceptual oddities that have become the highlight of my cognitive roller coaster ride.
                  Reduced to its simplest, I felt this neurologist understood me, a rare occurrence. We crossed paths only once, in a television studio before a program I produced. He seemed to be an accessible, easy person. We talked. I never mentioned my MS. I only listened. I could not get enough. Situations such as that teach that it is a privilege to be a journalist.
                  I bring Sacks up for a reason. Michiko Kakutani wrote the obituary in The New York Times. She is very good. I felt that she could have been thinking of us as she explained the man. Kakutani wrote of his case studies, “They emphasized people’s resilience, their ability to adapt to their deficits, enabling them to hold onto a sense of identity…Some even find that their conditions spur them to startling creative achievement.” Right on target. He knew the struggle.
                  This doctor looked past the conventional, limited views of patients, the ordinary evaluations. His books made it clear there is a loftier take on these illnesses. These conditions “can play a paradoxical role in bringing out latent powers, developments, evolutions, forms of life that that might never be seen or even be imaginable in their absence.”
                  Oliver Sacks believe d in his patients. He brought a nobility to his work.


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                  Linda~~~~

                  Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says:"Oh Crap, She's up!"..

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                    #10
                    I saw a movie called "Awakenings" last night that was based on a book by Oliver Sacks. Here is the trailer Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... This movie broke my heart. So touching! Sacks seems like he was a very caring guy if the movie portrayal is staying true to the real Sacks. Such a shame Sacks is gone.
                    Mild Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy and bad proprioception.
                    My website for my original short films! http://cripvideoproductions.com/astrokeofendurance.php

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                      #11
                      Too bad. i have followed him for several years thanks to Cherie. Had some interesting viewpoints.

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                        #12
                        Shame on me, but I have never heard of him. I can't even read a book these days. But from reading these posts, he must have been a great writer.
                        "Given the millions of billions of Earth-like planets, life elsewhere in the Universe without a doubt, does exist."

                        Albert Einstein

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                          #13
                          I've seen "Awakenings" but because I really liked Robin Williams. Good movie.


                          Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. -- Miguel Ruiz

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                            #14
                            Loved it too, Vicky!

                            Howie: audio books!
                            Please Note that my posts may have been arbitrarily altered by a Moderator and may not reflect my original content.

                            Per Mike Weins: "...the admin/mod team doesn't have to provide a forewarning/warning/mention about altering a members post. It doesn't matter if they fix a link, remove a link, fix a typo, or whatever...."

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by SuzE-Q View Post

                              Howie: audio books!
                              Do you find that there is a "learning curve" to audio books and printed books? I have trouble following them......

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