Sacks, Oliver

A discussion on vision that describes six case studies with individuals who have had their sight compromised and examines the many ways that the human brain perceives the world, our abilities to see in three dimensions, how the mind sees the world when our eyes are closed, and related topics.

"Recounts the case histories of patients lost in the . . . apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Tells the stories of individuals afflicted with . . . perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents"--OCLC.

A collection of essays exploring the author's life of having a broad range of interests, including his passion for ferns, swimming, and horsetails, also his exploring of schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer's.

The River of Consciousness demonstrates Sacks's unparalleled ability to make unexpected connections, his sheer joy in knowledge, and his unceasing, timeless endeavor to understand what makes us human.

Explores the scientific topics of chemistry, botany, evolution, medicine, neuroscience, and the arts and creative ability, exploring them from the perspectives of Darwin, Freud, and William James and building them into a theory of consciousness for all of life, the meaning of evolution, and the source of creativity.

Physician and writer Oliver Sacks recounts his experiences as a young neurologist; his physical passions--weight lifting and swimming; his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual; his guilt over leaving his family to come to America; his bond with his schizophrenic brother; and the writers and scientists--Thom Gunn, A. R. Luria, W. H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick--who influenced him.