Awakenings
Awakenings by Oliver Sacks, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group in 1999, is a reprint edition comprising 464 pages in English. This book presents a detailed account of patients who survived the sleeping-sickness epidemic that followed World War I, exploring their experiences after decades spent in a trance-like state. Dr. Sacks, a distinguished neurologist, chronicles the remarkable transformations these individuals underwent when treated with the drug L-DOPA in 1969, shedding light on their reintroduction to a world that had changed significantly during their absence.
Readers will find a collection of moving case histories that illustrate the profound impact of neurological conditions on human lives. The narrative delves into the psychological and medical aspects of these patients’ journeys, offering insights into neuropsychology and the history of neurology in the 20th century. Awakenings not only recounts the personal stories of these individuals but also reflects on the broader implications of their experiences, making it a significant contribution to the understanding of medical and psychological recovery.
Official synopsis Publisher
The classic account of survivors of the sleeping-sickness during the great epidemic just after World War I—and their return to the world after decades of “sleep.” • From the distinguished neurologist and the bestselling author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
“One of the most beautifully composed and moving works of our time.” —The Washington Post
Awakenings—which inspired the major motion picture starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams—is the remarkable story of a group of patients who contracted sleeping-sickness during the great epidemic just after World War I. Frozen for decades in a trance-like state, these men and women were given up as hopeless until 1969, when Dr. Oliver Sacks gave them the then-new drug L-DOPA, which had an astonishing, explosive, “awakening” effect. Dr. Sacks recounts the moving case histories of his patients, their lives, and the extraordinary transformations which went with their reintroduction to a changed world.
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