The brain has been a curiosity to man since the beginning of science. Even though the actual term "neuroscience" only dates back to the 1970's, the study of the brain is as old as science itself. As time and technology progresses neuroscience has undergone significant changes to become what it is today. New findings, new discoveries are always changing what we know, or think we know, about the brain. In a collection of narratives by Oliver Sacks entitled, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, we see the suffering of those with neurological diseases, their attempts to cope with these diseases and the conclusions that Sacks makes on their conditions. Sacks is the physican in these narrative stories that tell about his studies of the person behind neurological deficits. Sacks' interests are not only in the disease itself but also in the person. He writes these stories to teach the reader about the identity of the victims of neurological diseases. He describes the experience of the victim as he or she struggles to survive their disease.

Oliver Sacks presents numerous stories where neurological disorders have completely impaired a person's physical ability; the a

Another story that gained my attention was "The Dog Beneath the Skin"

As I was reading these stories I thought about how hard it must be for all of the patients that were suffering from these neurological diseases but I failed to think about the loved ones of these patients who had to watch their friend or family cope with these diseases. It must be very difficult to watch a loved one who used to be completely normal and healthy think that you are a hat or that a clock is a person. I didn't realize until now that these diseases and any disease in general effect so many more people than just the one carrying it. This collection of narratives was able to show me all the effects that neurological diseases have not only on the patients but the people around them. Many of the stories mentioned or included family and friends of the person with the disease to show the reader how is affects everyone surrounding the disease.

This collection of narratives caused me to be more interested in the brain and how it works, as well as, psychology because I wasn't very familiar with it. Neurological diseases and the mysteries of the brain is a subject that I have taken a liking to. The actual story of the person and their disease I really enjoyed but then I would get a little lost when Sacks would go into some of the terms and diagnoses of which I was not familiar with. Sacks stories about the people and the way they coped with their diseases made me think a lot because we, as normal people with no neurological disease, really have no concept on how devastating these circumstances can be to our life. I realized how complex the brain is. Sacks' stories makes us appreciate our working brains.

bility to remember, the ability to comprehend, the ability to speak and hear. These patients, despite their losses, never lost their spiritual ability. The ability to rejoice, to appear spiritually fulfilled, was never lost, just hidden. An example of this was seen in "The Lost Mariner"(22-41). Jimmie had suffered from amnesia and could not remember anything for more than two minutes, except things that were 30 years old. Jimmie had no continuity, no reality. He lived in the eighties, but his mind was in the thirties. Jimmie would erupt in panic attacks of confusion and disbelief, only to forget them a few minutes later. After frequent visits with Dr. Sacks, however, Jimmie began to find some continuity, some reality, in

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Approximate Word count = 1641
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)