AwakeningsAwakenings — which inspired the major motion picture — 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. |
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | |
Photo Insert | |
PREFACE TO THEORIGINAL EDITION | |
PREFACE TO THE1990 EDITION | |
FOREWORD TO THE1990 EDITION | |
Prologue | |
Awakenings | |
ROLANDO P | |
FRANK G | |
MARIA G | |
RACHEL I | |
AARON E87 | |
GEORGE W90 | |
CECIL M92 | |
LEONARD L | |
Perspectives | |
MIRIAM H | |
LUCY K | |
MARGARET A | |
MIRON V | |
GERTIE C | |
MARTHA N | |
IDA T | |
EPILOGUE 1982 | |
POSTSCRIPT 1990 | |
Appendices | |
GLOSSARY | |
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Common terms and phrases
activity akathisia akinesia amantadine attacks became become behaviour catatonia catatonic chorea clinical completely continued crisis depression developed disabled disorders documentary film DOPA dopamine dosage dose of L-DOPA dramatic drug dystonia effects encephalitic encephalitis lethargica enkies epidemic excitement experience extreme eyes feeling felt festination film of Awakenings forced hallucinations Havelock Ellis Hester hospital illness impulsions infinite intense Leibniz Leonard Leonard L living look Miss H months motionless motor Mount Carmel Mount Carmel Hospital move movement MPTP nature neurological never normal nurses observed occur oculogyric crises once one’s palilalia Parkinson’s disease Parkinsonian patients Parkinsonism pathological perhaps physiological possible post-encephalitic patients posture profound reactions to L-DOPA respiratory response rigidity seemed seen sense severe showed side-effects sleep sleeping-sickness sometimes sort speak speech started stopped strange substantia nigra sudden suddenly symptoms syndrome tendency therapeutic thought tics tremor violent walk weeks