The man who mistook his wife for a hat
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a book of clinical essays written by the British psychiatrist, neurologist, university professor, and author Oliver Sacks. It was first published in 1985 by Simon & Schuster in the United States and has since been translated into several languages.
In the months following its publication, the series of stories was translated into Spanish and released to Spanish-speaking audiences in 2009. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat has been adapted to other media on several occasions, including opera, theater, television , and a musical album, making it a landmark in popular culture.
Synopsis of The man who mistook his wife for a hat
A series of cases and clinical histories
The work comprises twenty-four essays, which are further divided into four sections : Losses , Excesses , Outbursts , and The World of Simplicity . Each section addresses a particular aspect of the functions of the human brain. The first two parts, in particular, discuss deficits and compensations, with an emphasis on the right hemisphere.
On the other hand, the third and fourth sections focus on describing the phenomenological manifestations related to spontaneous reminiscences , as well as altered perceptions of consciousness and extraordinary qualities that may occur in people with a particularly curious intellectual disability.
Synopsis of the most notable chapters of The man who mistook his wife for a hat
"The man who mistook his wife for a hat"
The case that gives this work its title is none other than that of Dr. P, a man suffering from visual agnosia. Before arriving at this unique diagnosis, the protagonist consults an ophthalmologist when he develops diabetes, fearing that the disease might leave him blind.
However, the specialist assures him that he has no problems in his life. The real ailment lies in the visual areas of the brain , and that is why the man ends up consulting Dr. Sacks, the author, who finally identifies the symptoms and diagnoses agnosia.
"The Lost Sailor"
This time, the story focuses on Jimmie G., a patient suffering from the loss of the ability to form new memories , a condition known scientifically as anterograde amnesia. This ailment stems from his Korsakoff syndrome. During his crisis, the protagonist is unable to recall anything after World War II.
Then, he begins to forget events that occurred minutes before. Jimmie G believes he is in 1945, although, in reality, the diagnosis and treatment took place between 1970 and the early 1980s. In therapy, he behaves like an intelligent gentleman, always striving to find meaning in his memory loss.
"The President's Speech"
This is perhaps one of the most curious cases. It involves a service for aphasic and agnosic patients who listen to the words of an unidentified actor portraying the president, although it is likely Ronald Reagan. Despite their inability to follow the speech, most of the patients laugh at it.
In this regard, there is a moment when a particular patient bursts into laughter and says that the speaker “doesn’t have good prose.” In his essay, Sacks states that the laughter is due to the speaker’s expression, as well as the tone of his voice.
"The disembodied lady"
This is a unique case of a woman who lost the ability to perceive the different parts of her body in relation to each other, a function known as proprioception. Interestingly, this occurred due to vitamin B6 poisoning.
"The man who fell out of bed"
This is the case of a young man whom Dr. Sacks met when he was a medical student . During their meeting, the young man was sitting on the floor of his hospital room and confessed that he was in that position because, when he woke up, he discovered an alien's leg on his bed.
The patient thought this might be a prank by the nurses, so he decided to throw the leg across the room, but then realized the rest of his body was attached to it. Sacks tried to convince him that the limb was, in fact, his , but the young man remained bewildered, a powerful example of somatoparaphrenia.
«Look to the right!»
This essay is about a woman in her sixties who suffers from complete hemineglect , meaning she doesn't recognize the concept of "left," either in her own body or in the world around her. For example, when nurses place food or drinks on that side, the woman cannot see that they are there.
To explain how it works, Dr. Sacks intends to show her the left side of things using a specific video screen configuration. However, as soon as the patient begins to see the left side of the images, she feels so overwhelmed that she asks the specialist to end the session.
About the Author
Oliver Wolf Sacks was born on July 9, 1933, in Willesden, United Kingdom. He attended St. Paul's School, where he was a young student with a passion for chemistry. Later, he shared his parents' interest in medicine , which led him to study at Queen's College, Oxford. He earned a degree in physiology and biology from this institution in 1954.
Later, Sacks earned a master's degree in surgery there, qualifying him to practice medicine. At the age of twenty-seven, he moved to Canada, where he wrote a journal titled *Canada: A Pause *. He then moved to the United States. There, after having his medical degrees recognized, he began working at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's teaching hospital.
Other books by Oliver Sacks
- Migraine — Migraine (1970);
- Awakenings (1973);
- A Leg to Stand On (1984);
- Seeing Voices: A Journey Into the World of the Deaf — I see a voice: journey into the world of the deaf (1989);
- An Anthropologist on Mars. Seven Paradoxical Tales — An anthropologist on Mars: seven paradoxical stories (1995);
- The Island of the Color blind and Cycad Island (1996);
- Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001);
- Oaxaca Journal — Diario de Oaxaca (2002);
- Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain — Musicophilia: tales of music and the brain (2007);
- The Mind's Eye (2010);
- Hallucinations (2012);
- On the Move. A Life — In motion. A life (2015);
- Gratitude — Gratitude (2015);
- The River of Consciousness (2017);
- Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales — Everything in its place. First loves and last writings (2019).