I am thankful to Elizabeth for having us read the prologues because they clearly and concisely provide much needed information about the history of, among other things, Parkinsonism, the Sleeping Sickness epidemic and about Sacks himself. Reading his at times hectic style in his additions and footnotes to the original ‘Great Awakening’ text prepares one for what is to come—accounts and explanations chock full of detail—detail one would have to know some history to fully comprehend. The many facts and elucidations Sacks includes in his first thirty pages truly pulled me in and made me want to get to the case studies as soon as possible so I could begin to read about the several different effects and manifestations he mentions in the prologue. I found myself questioning many of his statements. For example, I was very surprised and still baffled by the fact that the Mount Carmel ‘awakening’ is the only existing account of its kind. I am not sure if I understand the initial hostile reactions to Sacks observations by the medical community of the time. Was this simply because his finding seemed “beyond credibility”? I imagine there had to be some fear and excited apprehension on both the part of the author and the profession with the instance of such a monumental discovery like that of a ‘miracle drug’.
Sacks honest enthusiasm for what he was witnessing and studying is humbling. “What excited me was that the spectacle of the disease was never the same with two patients.” Here Sacks refers to the “wonderful panorama of the phenomena” that he saw in the post-encephalitic patients. I also thought that his writing style and possibly his inspiration in much of his research are apparently very influenced by his elders and contemporaries such as Ibsen, Cotzias and predominantly Luria. I think Luria’s “Romantic Science” study is what may possibly characterize much of Oliver Sack’s life and work. The “combination of intellectual power and human warmth’ is very much present in his case studies and descriptions of patient, doctor, attendant relations. The great promise of L-DOPA and the consequent threat for the patients is truly a perverse case in point of the resilience and strength of will and humanity. The way Sacks describes the many unique side effects and symptoms of the disorder is truly dynamic in that he describes certain ones in medical language—yet still being accessible for a wider audience—and explains these characteristics with a very specific tone in mind. On the other hand, in describing other outcomes he expresses great empathy for the patients and their most impenetrable states. “Unimaginable solitude”, he writes, “perhaps the least bearable of all.”
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Thank you for bringing attention to the preface. I agree that there are many insights to be found within the first thirty-six pages.
ReplyDeleteIn the preface, Sacks enumerates the reasons behind the changes he makes in this new edition, and comes to the conclusion that,“[he] was going to write, ‘this edition is for the eighties’; but what visions and revisions may still lie in store?” Thus, Awakenings becomes a living organism whose story parallels that of the patients’ lives within it. The way the book is given an ever-evolving ‘life’ may be seen as a metaphor for the lives of Sacks’ patients. Although Sacks is known for his prolific revisions and additions, the mirroring between book and life struck me as an example of how Sacks fuses his gift as an observer, and artist.
Sacks’ emphasis on storytelling is very theatrical, even in the introduction. This style brings the reader into the reality of Parkinsonism. There are many tragic elements to this disease, but one that I was not previously aware of is the possibility of remission that vanishes as quickly as it presents itself: “In one famous case, a drowning man was saved by a Parkinsonian patient who leapt out of his wheelchair into the breakers. The return of Parkinsonism… is often as sudden and dramatic as it’s vanishing: the sudden awakened patient… may fall back like a dummy into the arms of his attendants.” A close family friend recently passed away due to a fatal neurodegenerative disease, and one of the harder aspects of dealing with his illness was the false hope that came during brief periods when he seemed to regain control of his functioning. Sacks captures this idea well.