Sacks, Oliver W

Neurologist and storyteller Oliver Sacks recalls his childhood fascination for numbers, metals, and natural patterns, and tells how he was encouraged by his Uncle Dave, a lightbulb manufacturer known as "Uncle Tungsten, " to investigate the mysteries of chemistry.

Oliver Sacks explores the power of music in the lives of ordinary people, as well as individuals with neurological and other conditions.

The author describes his professional experiences as a young neurologist in the 1960s, as well as his personal life after leaving Britain for America, including his passion for swimming and weightlifting, his love affairs, his relationship with his schizophrenic brother, and his influences.

Presents essays by twenty-five leading science writers, chosen by author Oliver Sacks as the best of the year, covering such topics as the American lobster, Alzheimer's disease, and cosmology.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Journal excerpts help chronicle the experiences Oliver Sacks and his team had while exploring the plant life in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The author, a neurologist, tells of his journey to Pingelap where he went to observe a community of islanders born with hereditary total colorblindness, and a subsequent visit to Guam where he went to investigate a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that has been plaguing people for over a century.