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

Definitely a great read--but it is far from comical (which the title sort of suggests). It deals much more with psychology/philosophy surrounding each case than techy science behind it (well, it has no techy science behind it). However, at times I found it depressing to read though.

"The Man Who Mistook His Wife," by Oliver Sacks, is a terrific collection of cases taken by neurologist Oliver Sacks--a whole host of incredibly unusual conditions suffered by an eclectic range of patients. These stories serve as terrific examples of just how fragile a balance the inner workings of our minds have to maintain lest they suddenly begin functioning in ways that can make our lives difficult.

These stories include the title story's Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, a man who developed a condition in which he couldn't visually focus on any area larger than a couple of inches, making it so the brown of a hat looked just like the brown of his wife's hair. There's also an account in the book of a man who, many decades later, still believed he was a young sailor in World War II; a man who believed his leg was not his own; and a man whose sense of smell became insanely heightened, almost like that of a dog's.

In addition to individual stories, the book does an excellent job of discussing and illustrating the causes of such problems, delving into such maladies as aphasia and "Cupid's disease," as well as lots of others. This is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. Oliver Sacks is evidently a terrific neurologist--the kind of conscientious find-an-answer-or-else kind of guy you'd like to have diagnosing you, should you ever require it--and he's a good writer as well. The book reads clearly, flows by quickly, and always entertains as it instructs.

This one's a keeper.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end I had to work to finish. The patients and diagnoses are really interesting. But, the writing style made it a little hard for me to keep paying attention, he kept repeating things, and there was some conspicuous name-dropping. Overall worth the time spent reading but not as good as I'd hoped.

Excellent...Sacks continues to amaze and satisfy me with his thirst for knowledge and eloquence in this debilitating, life-changing field...He writes in a warm fashion...well aware of the human condition in himself and his patients. He easily admits personal error during therapy sessions and makes no excuses. Bravo!

"ONE OF THE GREATEST CLINICAL WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY."
---New York Times

"From world-famous neurolotist Dr. Oliver Sacks comes a bestselling collection of fascinating clinical tales representing an intriguing and touching investigation into the complexities of the human mind.

Dr. Sacks draws listeners into the strage and fascinating world of his neurologically impaired patients with humor and compassion:
here are individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations;
patients who have lost their memory and with it the greater part of their past;
who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects, although they can see perfectly;
who are possessed by violent tics and grimaces or who involuntarily shout obscenities;
whose own limbs have become alien;
who have been dismissed as retarded,
yet are gifted with unexpected strengths and talents.

At once inconceivably strange and deeply human,
these tales are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity,
and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired,
to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do."

"Oliver Sacks is Professor of Clinical Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine."

"The book
THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT
is published by Harper Petennial

Contents: 2 audio cassettes in standard plastic cases inside the paper case.
Running time: Approximately 3 hours.
Abridged with music.

Performance and copyright 1990 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 1 55994 368 8."
[from the back of case]