Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What I'm reading:

It's slow going at first, as Dr. Sacks goes into detail about the condition Encephalitis lethargica.  At least it was slow going for me, being that I'm not as well-versed in neurology as other sciences.  In a nutshell, Encephalitis lethargica leaves the victim trapped in a frozen statue of a body, able to think and perceive but unable to easily control their own bodies. There was an outbreak of it in the early years of the 20th century, and then for whatever reason, it more or less subsided.

Beyond the first chapter it's much easier going, as Dr. Sacks recounts his experience with a vast number of patients in the late '60s and early '70s.  By this point, many of his patients had been "stuck" (so to speak) for forty or fifty years.  Upon the administration of the drug L-DOPA, many of these patients suddenly and almost violently "woke up," and Awakenings  is a collection of the stories of these, well, awakenings.  I'm going to have to watch the movie once I finish.

What are you reading?

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