Part One: Losses
Case Study: “The Disembodied Lady”
Summary: Christina is a mother and programmer who has suddenly lost her proprioception, which refers to her sense of “self”, meaning that she does not feel “aware” of her body. More specifically, she feels paralyzed and disembodied because of her condition, even though she has slowly regained the ability to move again by using her mind. Initially this sensation appeared to her prior to a gallbladder surgery in a frightening dream, in which she lost all control of her limbs, but when she called a psychiatrist and asked about what the dream meant he dismissed the dream as “pre-operative anxiety” (45). Later, however, her symptoms from the dream began to actualise and she was left unable to …show more content…
This has altered her personality considerably, bringing the once quieter and shyer woman euphoria, courage and loosened inhibitions. She was not initially concerned about this change and enjoyed her new lease on life until her friends started to remark about how drastic this change has been, spurring her into calling neurologist Sacks for an evaluation, with the unnamed woman predicting that she has “Cupid’s Disease” (a euphemism for syphilis), to which she is correct. The woman is conflicted between obviously not wanting to die from syphilis, while also being able to enjoy the benefits of her current mental state. They (Sacks and the woman) reach the compromise of regularly giving her insulin shots, which prevents the disease from further affecting her brain but keeps it at its current level, so the positive effects of the syphilis can still be maintained. Sacks later elaborates on the positive effects of syphilis and illnesses in general, and the repercussions of “curing” them, by drawing a parallel with another case of a farmer he had evaluated with the same condition. The untreated syphilis patient is asked to copy a drawing and when he does so, the drawings are creative and elaborate, but completely different from the original, as the farmer …show more content…
It would not be surprising if she resisted seeking treatment initially, as these benefits could easily be mistaken for old age, and most people would not think that confidence and disinhibition would need explanation or treatment. For a disease to remain dormant for so long is unusual, and it is impressive that she could recognise that this was the cause of her symptoms, considering how long ago it was. To fully treat her syphilis would be a poor choice as removing the positive benefits caused by the syphilis would, as Sacks mentioned, make the world more dull and less enjoyable, impacting her quality of life. Sacks reached a happy compromise in treating her. The farmer’s case was more chronic and had a more negative impact, however the increased creativity and euphoria his illness brought about was still partially beneficial and it is a difficult to balance negative and positive symptoms in treatment. The farmer likely would not have enjoyed this dulling of creative thought processes and he may be less likely to stick through treatment. It might be important to, on a psychiatric or therapeutic level, help him find coping mechanisms to keep life enjoyable as compared to his
Case Study: “The Disembodied Lady”
Summary: Christina is a mother and programmer who has suddenly lost her proprioception, which refers to her sense of “self”, meaning that she does not feel “aware” of her body. More specifically, she feels paralyzed and disembodied because of her condition, even though she has slowly regained the ability to move again by using her mind. Initially this sensation appeared to her prior to a gallbladder surgery in a frightening dream, in which she lost all control of her limbs, but when she called a psychiatrist and asked about what the dream meant he dismissed the dream as “pre-operative anxiety” (45). Later, however, her symptoms from the dream began to actualise and she was left unable to …show more content…
This has altered her personality considerably, bringing the once quieter and shyer woman euphoria, courage and loosened inhibitions. She was not initially concerned about this change and enjoyed her new lease on life until her friends started to remark about how drastic this change has been, spurring her into calling neurologist Sacks for an evaluation, with the unnamed woman predicting that she has “Cupid’s Disease” (a euphemism for syphilis), to which she is correct. The woman is conflicted between obviously not wanting to die from syphilis, while also being able to enjoy the benefits of her current mental state. They (Sacks and the woman) reach the compromise of regularly giving her insulin shots, which prevents the disease from further affecting her brain but keeps it at its current level, so the positive effects of the syphilis can still be maintained. Sacks later elaborates on the positive effects of syphilis and illnesses in general, and the repercussions of “curing” them, by drawing a parallel with another case of a farmer he had evaluated with the same condition. The untreated syphilis patient is asked to copy a drawing and when he does so, the drawings are creative and elaborate, but completely different from the original, as the farmer …show more content…
It would not be surprising if she resisted seeking treatment initially, as these benefits could easily be mistaken for old age, and most people would not think that confidence and disinhibition would need explanation or treatment. For a disease to remain dormant for so long is unusual, and it is impressive that she could recognise that this was the cause of her symptoms, considering how long ago it was. To fully treat her syphilis would be a poor choice as removing the positive benefits caused by the syphilis would, as Sacks mentioned, make the world more dull and less enjoyable, impacting her quality of life. Sacks reached a happy compromise in treating her. The farmer’s case was more chronic and had a more negative impact, however the increased creativity and euphoria his illness brought about was still partially beneficial and it is a difficult to balance negative and positive symptoms in treatment. The farmer likely would not have enjoyed this dulling of creative thought processes and he may be less likely to stick through treatment. It might be important to, on a psychiatric or therapeutic level, help him find coping mechanisms to keep life enjoyable as compared to his