The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

The book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales recounts a number of case studies. These historical explanations primarily describe persons suffering from odd neurological illnesses that appear to be unavoidable. Furthermore, Oliver Sacks tells anecdotes about persons who are haunted by imagined intellectual and perceptual oddities. These individuals have not only lost their memories, but also a significant portion of their past. Furthermore, they are now unable to distinguish between simple items and people. They exhibit angry expressions, tics, and the uncontrollable utterance of filthy remarks. Furthermore, their limbs have turned alien over time, and society views them as retarded. The author, however, recognizes that these individuals are highly gifted with numerous supernatural mathematical or artistic talents.

Further, the book is subdivided into four basic but, interrelated parts. These include mental losses, transports, excesses, and the realm of the simple. Each of the four sections gives appropriate cases of individuals suffering from the related disorders. However, Oliver does not provide explicit accounts of his patients’ condition as is the situation with most neurological diseases. The chapter analysis also illustrates such themes as ailment as a gift, adaptation and equalization, and the conception of mental disorder which run throughout the book.

The first part which centers on losses and adaptation. It illustrates how inexplicably and quickly life can transform. For instance, the author presents Jimmie G. whose mental disorder started in 1945. Since then, he is completely lost in his past and is unable to even catch up with his friends, colleagues, and relatives. Several attempts have been made to keep him informed but, none has succeeded resulting in frustrations both on his part and that of the doctors (Sacks 1998). On the other hand, Dr. P. can bounce back after his illness. He leads a nearly healthy lifestyle as the earlier one by adapting the disease and including it in his daily routines. Thirdly, Christina attempts to lead a normal life after falling ill. However, when she finally realizes that she lacks a body, she is required to face her hard-hitting problems. The above cases are a clear indication that, though people may suffer from similar illnesses, they react differently to those disorders.

Part two of the book covers patients suffering from mental excesses thus advancing the theme of ailment as a gift. One of the most notable and memorable characters is Ray Witty. Witty has a Tourette’s syndrome disorder. However, his situation is unique, and the audience may not realize his suffering when he is staging a performance. Witty has extraordinary wits and is thus able to entertain people wildly. This fact is attributed to his vulnerability to engaging in an extremely wild solo. He takes advantage of his syndrome and employs it in other amusement areas such as drumming. On the other hand, back home he requires assistance to contain his syndrome. The family helps him reason calmly so that he may not turn violent and end up losing a close relative (Sacks 1998).

The third part features patients with transports expounding on the power of memory that they possess. This concept becomes apparent when the author presents the case of Bhagawhandi and Mrs. O’ C. To start with, Bhagawhandi acquires a brain tumor which the doctors say is inoperable. She interestingly takes up the suffering positively and encourages herself despite the fact that her life is on the verge of culminating. She finds solace in some images which in the long run overwhelm her. The images transport her back in the days when she was in her native home in India. The nostalgia consoles her in spite of her inability to travel to India physically (Sacks 1998). Similarly, whenever Mrs. O’ C hears the sound of Irish music, she is transported imaginarily to her childhood days. Such memories comfort her since she has always thought that they were gone forever. Moreover, she affectionately recalls her mother who she barely knew and recollects some information about herself.

The fourth part presents a world of the “simple” patients and also looks at the various notions of mental ailments. This term, as well as, ”a retardate,” ”idiot” or ”moron” are widely used in the social and medical arenas. Despite the fact that most people view these individuals as simple and challenged, the author identifies and presents their strengths and individuality (Sacks 1998). With the numerous stories re-counted, he captivates the reader’s attention to the lives of these bizarre individuals.

The Healing Power of Art

I chose to discuss Part Four (chapter 22 and 23) of the book since I find it the most exciting and moving section. The theme of art stands out as it plays a significant role in the healing process of mentally challenged individuals. Sacks narrates the story of Rebecca whose grandmother referred to as behaving ”like a child.” However, she possesses incredible poetic power. After her grandmother’s demise, she was aggrieved, and it was at this point that she yearned for a design or pattern for consolation. In turn, she developed a great interest in theatre. Sacks notes that while Rebecca is on stage, one cannot realize that she is mentally disabled. Drama helps her connect with the reality or the concrete world.

Similarly, chapter 23 narrates the story of Martin A. who suffers from Parkinson’s syndrome. Despite this challenge, he is excellent in music perhaps because his father was a renowned Opera vocalist. Sacks notes that, whenever Martin sings, he seemed to forget his mental deficit. At one point, Martin’s situation worsens, and he becomes unpopular and a nuisance. However, when Sacks introduces him to sing in the church choir upon expressing interest, he becomes like a ”real person.” The author suggests that music helps the mentally challenged to make some sense of the world by creating coherence and order. Further, he proposes that for Martin’s mind to make up for its cognitive deficiency, it gives him heightened musical knowledge. Art, therefore, enables him to preserve his dignity while making sense of the life he leads.

Scientifically, vibrations resulting from music have been proven to enhance the healing power. Bartel Lee, for instance, demonstrates that musical vibrations help in easing the fibromyalgia, depression, and Parkinson’s disease symptoms (Novotney, 2013). Clinically, this is applicable in vibroacoustic therapy where the sound of low frequency is used to generate vibrations which are, in turn, employed directly to the patient’s body. Lee relates the vibroacoustic process with the act of seating on the subwoofer (Seng et al. 2009). This experiment thus credits Sacks’ argument that indeed music soothes mental deficiency as in the case of Martin A.

Moreover, research has shown that art, reduces stress and treats pain (Engel et al. 2013). Music provides therapy by easing emotions. The concepts of employing sound frequencies, rhythm, and songs have been recently used in the treatment of physical and mental illnesses. This study relates to the author’s case of Rebecca who desires a form of patterns and designs to help recover from grieving her deceased grandmother. She turns to poetry and theatre which reduced her suffering particularly when she was on stage. According to Levitin J. Daniel, a music neurologist, music enhances the immune system of these patients and reduces stress considerably (JAMA Pediatrics, 2013). Interestingly, listening to soothing music is more efficient compared to administering prescription drugs in easing anxiety before surgery is performed (Aultman, 2011).

In conclusion, Sacks maintains the sympathetic, non-judgmental, and splendid human nature in his narration. He presents us with an opportunity to experience the world of the mentally impaired persons, and this enables us to realize their plight. Further, Oliver Sacks can capture the audience’s attention to genuinely imagine how difficult it would be to feel and live as insane people do. The book also presents the concept of healing these patients in an attempt to put their mystery to an end. On that account, the author suggests the use of art to resolve their sufferings, illness, and violent actions.

References

Aultman, M. (2011). Daniel J. Levitin. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. New York: Dutton-Penguin, 2006. 270 pp. KronoScope, 11(1-2), 170-175. doi:10.1163/156852411x595332.

Engel, A. K., Kurthen, M., Maye, A., & König, P. (2013). Where’s the action? The pragmatic turn in cognitive science. Trends in cognitive sciences, 17(5), 202-209.

JAMA Pediatrics. (2013). JAMA Pediatrics, 167(10),884. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2163

Novotney, A. (2013). Practice practicalities. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e600932009-018

Sacks, O. W. (1998). The man who mistook his wife for a hat and other clinical tales. 1st Touchstone ed.

Seng O. T., Jones, L., Tsukamoto, Y., Liu, T. K., Guo, Z., & Nikolic, B. (2009). Impact of random telegraph signals on Vmin in 45nm SRAM. 2009 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM). doi:10.1109/iedm.2009.5424228