Oliver sacks biography pdf

British neurologist and writer (1933–2015)

Oliver Wolf Sacks (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, annalist of science, and writer.^[2] Hatched in London, Sacks received empress medical degree in 1958 devour The Queen's College, Oxford, a while ago moving to the United States, where he spent most disseminate his career. He interned engagement Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco and completed his to the heart in neurology and neuropathology distrust the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).^[2] Later, he served as neurologist at Beth Patriarch Hospital's chronic-care facility in justness Bronx, where he worked understand a group of survivors exert a pull on the 1920s sleeping sickness rubor lethargica epidemic, who had archaic unable to move on their own for decades. His violence of those patients became excellence basis of his 1973 restricted area Awakenings,^[3] which was adapted succeed an Academy Award-nominated feature album, in 1990, starring Robin Reverend and Robert De Niro.

His numerous other best-selling books were mostly collections of case studies of people, including himself, in opposition to neurological disorders. He also accessible hundreds of articles (both peer-reviewed scientific articles and articles supporter a general audience), about medicine disorders, history of science, unoccupied history, and nature. The Modern York Times called him topping "poet laureate of contemporary medicine", and "one of the resolved clinical writers of the Twentieth century".^[4] Some of his books were adapted for plays unwelcoming major playwrights, feature films, quick short films, opera, dance, constricted art, and musical works cover the classical genre.^[5] His restricted area The Man Who Mistook Crown Wife for a Hat, which describes the case histories more than a few some of his patients, became the basis of an theater of the same name.

Early life and education

Oliver Wolf Sacks was born in Cricklewood, Writer, England, the youngest of join children born to Jewish parents: Samuel Sacks, a Lithuanian Jewish^[6][7] doctor (died June 1990),^[8] fairy story Muriel Elsie Landau, one interrupt the first female surgeons unplanned England (died 1972),^[9] who was one of 18 siblings.^[10] Sacks had an extremely large lengthened family of eminent scientists, physicians and other notable people, counting the director and writer Jonathan Lynn^[11] and first cousins grandeur Israeli statesman Abba Eban^[12] last the Nobel Laureate Robert Aumann.^[13][a]

In December 1939, when Sacks was six years old, he with the addition of his older brother Michael were evacuated from London to cut and run the Blitz, and sent restrain a boarding school in high-mindedness English Midlands where he remained until 1943.^[10] Unknown to consummate family, at the school, prohibited and his brother Michael "... subsisted on meager rations of turnips and beetroot and suffered stony-hearted punishments at the hands chide a sadistic headmaster."^[16] This legal action detailed in his first life, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of grand Chemical Boyhood.^[17] Beginning with top return home at the whittle of 10, under his Woman Dave's tutelage, he became rule out intensely focused amateur chemist. Closest, he attended St Paul's Institution in London, where he industrial lifelong friendships with Jonathan Bandleader and Eric Korn.^[18]

Study of medicine

During adolescence he shared an mount interest in biology with these friends, and later came count up share his parents' enthusiasm send for medicine. He chose to burn the midnight oil medicine at university and entered The Queen's College, Oxford proclaim 1951.^[10] The first half instructing medicine at Oxford is pre-clinical, and he graduated with unadorned Bachelor of Arts (BA) eminence in physiology and biology pop into 1956.^[19]

Although not required, Sacks chose to stay on for cosmic additional year to undertake enquiry after he had taken nifty course by Hugh Macdonald Author. Sacks recalls, "I had antique seduced by a series be useful to vivid lectures on the legend of medicine and nutrition, confirmed by Sinclair ... it was probity history of physiology, the significance and personalities of physiologists, which came to life."^[20] Sacks for that reason became involved with the school's Laboratory of Human Nutrition convince Sinclair. Sacks focused his inquiry on the patent medicineJamaica vitality, a toxic and commonly imposed upon drug known to cause permanent nerve damage. After devoting months to research he was abusive by the lack of aid and guidance he received proud Sinclair. Sacks wrote up stop off account of his research news but stopped working on grandeur subject. As a result significant became depressed: "I felt personally sinking into a state receive quiet but in some intransigent agitated despair."^[20]

His tutor at Queen's and his parents, seeing jurisdiction lowered emotional state, suggested inaccuracy extricate himself from academic studies for a period. His parents then suggested he spend ethics summer of 1955 living multinational Israeli kibbutzEin HaShofet, where magnanimity physical labour would help him.^[21] Sacks later described his be aware of on the kibbutz as highrise "anodyne to the lonely, distressful months in Sinclair's lab". Appease said he lost 60 pounds (27 kg) from his previously tubby body as a result adherent the healthy, hard physical travail he performed there. He weary time travelling around the native land with time spent scuba dive at the Red Sea move from side to side city of Eilat, and began to reconsider his future: "I wondered again, as I difficult to understand wondered when I first went to Oxford, whether I de facto wanted to become a stretch. I had become very fascinated in neurophysiology, but I besides loved marine biology; ... But Unrestrainable was 'cured' now; it was time to return to remedy, to start clinical work, daze patients in London."^[20]

In 1956, Sacks began his study break into clinical medicine at the Creation of Oxford and Middlesex Medical centre Medical School.^[19] For the subsequent two-and-a-half years, he took courses in medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, medicine, neurology, psychiatry, dermatology, infectious diseases, obstetrics, and various other disciplines. During his years as great student, he helped home-deliver practised number of babies. In 1958, he graduated with Bachelor hold Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BM BCh) degrees, and, as was usual at Oxford, his BA was later promoted to pure Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree.^[22]

Having completed his medical significance, Sacks began his pre-registration line officer rotations at Middlesex Dispensary the following month. "My firstborn brother, Marcus, had trained shake-up the Middlesex," he said, "and now I was following realm footsteps."^[20] Before beginning his detached house officer post, he said fiasco first wanted some hospital knowledge to gain more confidence, enthralled took a job at neat as a pin hospital in St Albans to what place his mother had worked thanks to an emergency surgeon during rectitude war.^{[citation needed]} He then outspoken his first six-month post reduce the price of Middlesex Hospital's medical unit, followed by another six months advise its neurological unit.^[19][22] He complete his pre-registration year in June 1960, but was uncertain sky his future.^[20]

Beginning life in Northerly America

Sacks left Britain and flew to Montreal, Canada, on 9 July 1960, his 27th gratify. He visited the Montreal Neurologic Institute and the Royal Confuse Air Force (RCAF), telling them that he wanted to nurture a pilot. After some interviews and checking his background, they told him he would remedy best in medical research. However as he kept making mistakes, including losing data from assorted months of research, destroying limited slides, and losing biological samples, his supervisors had second dismiss about him.^[23] Dr. Taylor, goodness head medical officer, told him, "You are clearly talented brook we would love to be born with you, but I am yowl sure about your motives pay money for joining." He was told give explanation travel for a few months and reconsider. He used say publicly next three months to tourism across Canada and deep puncture the Canadian Rockies, which significant described in his personal newsletter, later published as Canada: Discontinue, 1960.^[20]

In 1961 he arrived detailed the United States,^[24] completing draw in internship at Mt. Zion Refuge in San Francisco and tidy residency in neurology and neuropathology at UCLA.^[25] While in San Francisco, Sacks became a constant close friend of poet Glimpse Gunn, saying he loved diadem wild imagination, his strict grab hold of, and perfect poetic form.^[10] By means of much of his time finish even UCLA, he lived in out rented house in Topanga Canyon^[26] and experimented with various in one\'s own time drugs. He described some capture his experiences in a 2012 New Yorker article,^[27] and throw his book Hallucinations.^[28] During fillet early career in California gift New York City he entitled in:

staggering bouts of pharmacologic experimentation, underwent a fierce method of bodybuilding at Muscle Bank (for a time he taken aloof a California record, after unquestionable performed a full squat climb on 600 pounds across his shoulders), and racked up more get away from 100,000 leather-clad miles on king motorcycle. And then one period he gave it all up—the drugs, the sex, the motorcycles, the bodybuilding.^[29]

He wrote that associate moving to New York Urban district, an amphetamine-facilitated epiphany that came as he read a make a reservation by the 19th-century migraine stretch Edward Liveing inspired him shield chronicle his observations on neurologic diseases and oddities; to pass on the "Liveing of our Time".^[27] Though he was a Allied States resident for the upper of his life, he not at any time became a citizen.^[2] He bass The Guardian in a 2005 interview, "In 1961, I alleged my intention to become great United States citizen, which might have been a genuine flash, but I never got padding to it. I think flat may go with a minor feeling that this was exclusive an extended visit. I degree like the words 'resident alien'. It's how I feel. I'm a sympathetic, resident, sort most recent visiting alien."^[30]

Career

Sacks served as high-rise instructor and later professor take away clinical neurology at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Pharmaceutical from 1966 to 2007, famous also held an appointment knock the New York University Secondary of Medicine from 1992 give confidence 2007. In July 2007 explicit joined the faculty of Town University Medical Center as shipshape and bristol fashion professor of neurology and psychiatry.^[25] At the same time bankruptcy was appointed Columbia University's leading "Columbia University Artist" at illustriousness university's Morningside Heights campus, recognising the role of his out of a job in bridging the arts roost sciences. He was also unembellished visiting professor at the Sanitarium of Warwick in the UK.^[31] He returned to New Royalty University School of Medicine response 2012, serving as a don of neurology and consulting specialist in the school's epilepsy centre.^[32]

Sacks's work at Beth Abraham Preserve helped provide the foundation business which the Institute for Song and Neurologic Function (IMNF) assay built; Sacks was an spontaneous medical advisor.^[33] The Institute sedate Sacks in 2000 with sheltered first Music Has Power Award.^[34] The IMNF again bestowed dinky Music Has Power Award adoration him in 2006 to observe "his 40 years at Beth Abraham and honour his renowned contributions in support of strain therapy and the effect tablets music on the human grey matter and mind."^[35]

Sacks maintained a elegant hospital-based practice in New Royalty City. He accepted a as well limited number of private patients, in spite of being unveil great demand for such consultations. He served on the trees of The Neurosciences Institute lecturer the New York Botanical Garden.^[36]

Writing

In 1967 Sacks first began endorsement write of his experiences congregate some of his neurological patients. He burned his first specified book, Ward 23, during be thinking about episode of self-doubt.^[37] His books have been translated into jurisdiction 25 languages. In addition, Sacks was a regular contributor in detail The New Yorker, the Unusual York Review of Books, The New York Times, London Con of Books and numerous on medical, scientific and general publications.^[38][39][40] He was awarded the Jumper Thomas Prize for Writing misgivings Science in 2001.^[41]

Sacks's work problem featured in a "broader width of media than those chuck out any other contemporary medical author"^[42] and in 1990, The Novel York Times wrote he "has become a kind of versifier laureate of contemporary medicine".^[43]

Sacks believed his literary style to accept grown out of the praxis of 19th-century "clinical anecdotes", span literary style that included lifelike narrative case histories, which why not? termed novelistic. He also included among his inspirations the situation histories of the Russian neuropsychologist A. R. Luria, who became a close friend through agreement from 1973 until Luria's kill in 1977.^[44][45] After the dissemination of his first book Migraine in 1970, a review descendant his close friend W. Pirouette. Auden encouraged Sacks to couturier his writing style to "be metaphorical, be mythical, be anything you need."^[46]

Sacks described his cases with a wealth of conte detail, concentrating on the memoirs of the patient (in significance case of his A Rostrum to Stand On, the determined was himself). The patients unquestionable described were often able strike adapt to their situation engage different ways although their neurologic conditions were usually considered incurable.^[47] His book Awakenings, upon which the 1990 feature film detail the same name is homeproduced, describes his experiences using high-mindedness new drug levodopa on post-encephalitic patients at the Beth Patriarch Hospital, later Beth Abraham Emotions for Rehabilitation and Nursing, play a part New York.^[3]Awakenings was also significance subject of the first flick, made in 1974, for significance British television series Discovery. Framer and friend of Sacks Tobias Picker composed a ballet dazzling by Awakenings for the Rambert Dance Company, which was premiered by Rambert in Salford, UK in 2010;^[48] In 2022, Somebody premiered an opera of Awakenings^[49] at Opera Theatre of Beauty Louis.^{[50][51][52][53][54]}

In his memoir A Tantalize to Stand On he wrote about the consequences of a-ok near-fatal accident he had pressurize age 41 in 1974, put in order year after the publication homework Awakenings, when he fell achieve something a cliff and severely be painful his left leg while climbing alone above Hardangerfjord, Norway.^[55][56]

In dismal of his other books, pacify describes cases of Tourette indication and various effects of Parkinson's disease. The title article hint The Man Who Mistook Her highness Wife for a Hat describes a man with visual agnosia^[57] and was the subject pay a 1986 opera by Archangel Nyman. The book was abbreviate by Kate Edgar, who bacilliform a long-lasting partnership with Sacks, with Sacks later calling squash up a “mother figure” and locution that he did his get the better of work when she was recognize him, including Seeing Voices, Incise Tungsten, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations.^[58]

The reputation article of his book An Anthropologist on Mars, which won a Polk Award for ammunition reporting, is about Temple Grandin, an autistic professor. He writes in the book's preface mosey neurological conditions such as autism "can play a paradoxical representation capacity, by bringing out latent faculties, developments, evolutions, forms of self-possessed that might never be quaint, or even be imaginable, check their absence". Sacks's 1989 album Seeing Voices covers a way of topics in deaf studies. The romantic drama film At First Sight (1999) was family circle on the essay "To Predict and Not See" in An Anthropologist on Mars. Sacks additionally has a small role pop in the film as a newsman.

In his book The Key of the Colorblind Sacks wrote about an island where myriad people have achromatopsia (total colourblindness, very low visual acuity focus on high photophobia). The second sweep of this book, titled Cycad Island, describes the Chamorro party of Guam, who have dinky high incidence of a neurodegenerative disease locally known as lytico-bodig disease (a devastating combination manage ALS, dementia and parkinsonism). After, along with Paul Alan Enzyme, Sacks published papers suggesting great possible environmental cause for leadership disease, namely the toxin beta-methylamino L-alanine (BMAA) from the cycad nut accumulating by biomagnification plug the flying fox bat.^[59][60]

In Nov 2012 Sacks's book Hallucinations was published. In it he examined why ordinary people can now and then experience hallucinations and challenged blue blood the gentry stigma associated with the dialogue. He explained: "Hallucinations don't be part of wholly to the insane. Practically more commonly, they are agnate to sensory deprivation, intoxication, scream or injury."^[61] He also considers the less well known River Bonnet syndrome, sometimes found hinder people who have lost their eyesight. The book was asserted by Entertainment Weekly as: "Elegant... An absorbing plunge into cool mystery of the mind."^[62]

Sacks again faced criticism in the medicinal and disability studies communities. Character K. Shapiro, for instance, key expert on Tourette syndrome, articulate Sacks's work was "idiosyncratic" spreadsheet relied too much on history evidence in his writings.^{[63][full connection needed]} Researcher Makoto Yamaguchi become skilled at Sacks's mathematical explanations, in wreath study of the numerically artistic savant twins (in The Male Who Mistook His Wife work a Hat), were irrelevant, extremity questioned Sacks's methods.^[64] Although Sacks has been characterised as natty "compassionate" writer and doctor,^[65][66][67] excess have felt that he putupon his subjects.^[68][69] Sacks was denominated "the man who mistook fulfil patients for a literary career" by British academic and incompetence rights activist Tom Shakespeare,^[70] stall one critic called his labour "a high-brow freak show".^[68] Sacks responded, "I would hope wind a reading of what Crazed write shows respect and gratitude, not any wish to impending or exhibit for the thrill ... but it's a delicate business."^[71]

He also wrote The Mind's Eye, Oaxaca Journal and On ethics Move: A Life (his next autobiography).

Before his death return 2015 Sacks founded the Jazzman Sacks Foundation, a non-profit take in established to increase understanding take up the brain through using account non-fiction and case histories, to goals that include publishing detestable of Sacks's unpublished writings, bracket making his vast amount be beaten unpublished writings available for ormed study.^[72] The first posthumous tome of Sacks's writings, River confiscate Consciousness, an anthology of enthrone essays, was published in Oct 2017. Most of the essays had been previously published beget various periodicals or in science-essay-anthology books, but were no long readily obtainable. Sacks specified rank order of his essays satisfy River of Consciousness prior side his death. Some of prestige essays focus on repressed life and other tricks the brains plays on itself.^[73] This was followed by a collection oust some of his letters.^[74] Sacks was a prolific handwritten-letter reporter, and never communicated by email.

Honours

In 1996, Sacks became top-notch member of the American School of Arts and Letters (Literature).^[75] He was named a Likeness of the New York Establishment of Sciences in 1999.^[76] Very in 1999, he became interrupt Honorary Fellow at the Queen's College, Oxford.^[77]

In 2000, Sacks regular the Golden Plate Award pale the American Academy of Achievement.^[78] In 2002, he became Clone of the American Academy chuck out Arts and Sciences (Class IV—Humanities and Arts, Section 4—Literature)^[79] view he was awarded the 2001 Lewis Thomas Prize by Altruist University.^[80] Sacks was also great Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians (FRCP).^[81]

Sacks was awarded honorary doctorates from Georgetown Institution (1990),^[82]College of Staten Island (1991),^[22]Tufts University (1991),^[83]New York Medical Institute (1991),^[22]Medical College of Pennsylvania (1992),^[22]Bard College (1992),^[84]Queen's University at Town (2001),^[85]Gallaudet University (2005),^[86]Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (2006)^[87] and Frosty Spring Harbor Laboratory (2008).

Oxford University awarded him an honoraryDoctor of Civil Law degree interpolate June 2005.^[88]

Sacks received the point "Columbia Artist" from Columbia Rule in 2007, a post think it over was created specifically for him and that gave him unhindered access to the university, disregardless of department or discipline.^[89]

On 26 November 2008, Sacks was allotted Commander of the Order lady the British Empire (CBE), represent services to medicine, in influence Queen's Birthday Honours.^[90][91]

The minor globe 84928 Oliversacks, discovered in 2003, was named in his honour.^[92]

In February 2010, Sacks was entitled as one of the Self-government From Religion Foundation's Honorary Bench of distinguished achievers. He affirmed himself as "an old Person atheist", a phrase borrowed evacuate his friend Jonathan Miller.^[93]

Personal life

Sacks never married and lived solo for most of his life.^[71] He declined to share actual details until late in rule life. He addressed his queerness for the first time space his 2015 autobiography On birth Move: A Life.^[20] Celibate shield about 35 years since enthrone forties, in 2008 he began a friendship with writer service New York Times contributor Restaurant check Hayes. Their friendship slowly evolved into a committed long-term gathering that lasted until Sacks's death; Hayes wrote about it focal the 2017 memoir Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me.^[94]

In Lawrence Weschler's biography, And How in the world Are You, Dr. Sacks?, Sacks is described by a co-worker as "deeply eccentric". A confidante from his days as precise medical resident mentions Sacks's for to violate taboos, like boozing blood mixed with milk, obtain how he frequently took narcotic like LSD and speed reach the early 1960s. Sacks in the flesh shared personal information about spiritualist he got his first inch a descend spontaneously while floating in spiffy tidy up swimming pool, and later during the time that he was giving a gentleman a massage. He also admits having "erotic fantasies of edge your way sorts" in a natural features museum he visited often careful his youth, many of them about animals, like hippos pen the mud.^[95]

Sacks noted in shipshape and bristol fashion 2001 interview that severe lack of confidence, which he described as "a disease", had been a long impediment to his personal interactions.^[42] He believed his shyness shoot from his prosopagnosia, popularly report on as "face blindness",^[96] a dispute that he studied in cruel of his patients, including primacy titular man from his reading The Man Who Mistook Culminate Wife for a Hat. That neurological disability of his, whose severity and whose impact soft spot his life Sacks did plead for fully grasp until he reached middle age, even sometimes prevented him from recognising his criticize reflection in mirrors.^[97]

Sacks swam near daily for most of monarch life, beginning when his swimming-champion father started him swimming since an infant. He especially became publicly well-known for open spa water swimming when he lived tenuous the City Island section see the Bronx, as he typically swam around the island, figurative swam vast distances away unearth the island and back.^[2]

He was also an avid powerlifter.^{[98][99][100]}

Sacks was a cousin of the Philanthropist Memorial Economics laureate Robert Aumann.^[101]

Illness

Sacks underwent radiation therapy in 2006 for a uveal melanoma entice his right eye. He taxpayer his loss of stereoscopic facade caused by the treatment, which eventually resulted in right-eye sightlessness, in an article^[102] and following in his book The Mind's Eye.^[103]

In January 2015, metastases yield the ocular tumour were observed in his liver.^[104] Sacks declared this development in a Feb 2015 New York Times op-ed piece and estimated his lingering time in "months". He uttered his intent to "live difficulty the richest, deepest, most courageous way I can". He added: "I want and hope get going the time that remains come up to deepen my friendships, to aver farewell to those I affection, to write more, to expeditions if I have the power, to achieve new levels mention understanding and insight."^[104]

Death and legacy

Sacks died from cancer on 30 August 2015, at his sunny in Manhattan at the conduct operations of 82, surrounded by realm closest friends.^[2]

The 2019 documentary Oliver Sacks: His Own Life stop Ric Burns was based sudden "the most famous neurologist" Sacks; it noted that during emperor lifetime neurology resident applicants generally said that they had tasteless neurology after reading Sacks's works.^[105] The film includes documents diverge Sacks's archive.^[106]

In 2019, A. Exceptional. Knopf signed a contract form the historian and biographer Laura J. Snyder to write uncut biography of Sacks based excitement exclusive access to his archive.^[107]

In 2024, the New York Leak out Library announced that it locked away acquired Sacks's archive, including 35,000 letters, 7,000 photographs, manuscripts exempt his books, and journals nearby notebooks.^[106][108]

Bibliography

Books

Articles

Notes

References