The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

The reading I decided to choose by Oliver Sacks was The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. This book is composed in a way where it tells stories of different patients of Dr. Oliver Sacks. The cases described in the book are very well put and engaging. A story that stood out to me is the one of Dr. P, the patient who could not recognize humans but would use his other senses like hearing and touch to differentiate them. He cannot recognize faces and objects, however, his neurological checkup and vision are intact. I particularly liked the way Oliver Sacks describes this case in a nonjudgmental tone. He mentions how Dr. P is a lovely man but finds his condition to be baffling. The case of Dr. P’s mysterious condition really stuck with me because of his love for music until the end and how oblivious he was to his condition.

Another case that really spoke to me was the story of Madeleine J., the 60-year-old woman who had cerebral palsy and was born blind. Again, I enjoy Oliver Sacks’ positive manner towards this woman. He described her as intelligent and in a positive light and humanized her, looking past just what she cannot accomplish. Sacks’ looks at this case as “What can she accomplish?”, having hope when no one has ever had faith in her. Madeleine explains that she never uses her hands and has no use for them, but Oliver Sacks thought not. He has the idea to have her nurses place Madeleine’s food slightly out of reach for her, forcing her to reach for the food on her own. Eventually, she does and is introduced to the world of touch for the first time. The part of this case that shocked me and touched me the most was reading that she went on to be a sculptor at the age of 60 without ever being able to see. This all was made possible by the support of Oliver Sacks who believed in her. 

Lastly, the case of the twins John and Michael who both have autism stood out to me because I recently researched autistic savants like Stephen Wiltshire. Sacks’ once again has a humanized approach when meeting with his patients. He tries to get to know them and observe their behavior instead of running to test them. These twins had many astonishing mental abilities when it came to numbers. I found it particularly interesting considering this was the 1960s and mathematical machinery was not available to people so this gift is even more powerful then. When the twins are asked how they are capable of memorizing calendars and prime numbers their responses are that they “see it” which I find very intriguing. It is sad to read that they were ultimately separated from each other for “their own good” so they can be more independent. Sacks’ describes that he did not approve of this decision and noticed that the twins appeared to lose their mental abilities.

Reading this book not only opened my eyes to the many fascinating brain conditions that are out there, but shared Dr. Oliver Sacks in a compassionate and human light. I appreciate and see his kindness when working with his patients and his pure intentions of helping others. It is amazing to know that one of the most progressive neurologists to ever exist had a love for people and did not just see them as disorders.