Perception In Oliver Sacks The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

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The brain is a very captivating and complex area of the human body and mind. Through the finding of the study neuroscience dating back in the 1970`s. Scientists have been able to get a look into the complex structure of the brain and been able to open the door to bizarre neurological disorders. In a collective of stories by Oliver Sacks entitled, `The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat`, shows the multiple case studies of neurological diseases on many different people and the affects and changes happening in their everyday lives. Oliver Sacks display neurological narratives to show the linkage between neurological diseases and the processes of perception. Perception in the study of Cognitive science is the turning of new information’s into …show more content…
A neurological disorder known as Phantom limb syndrome which is when there is a sensation from the area of an amputated limb due to the central and peripheral nerves system changes due to the injury as well as from some damage of nerves due to the injury (Phantom Limb, Gales). In one of the stories called `Phantoms` (66-70) deals with a sailor who had cut off his finger. For the next forty years the sailor would continue to feel his phantom finger and would have feelings that it would poke out an eyeball and come to attack him one day (Sacks, Oliver). The phantom limb syndrome links to how perception works in our body. In perception the part that deals with the responses of body parts are known as kinesthesia, proprioception. Perception of the body would be working normally when you know where your body parts are and how they move (Dr. Jim Davies). In this story the neurological disorder is also affecting the perception one has for their own body, as the sailor can still be feeling his amputated finger meaning the processes of perception and the nerves combined together are not working the way one should. As well due to the detection of feeling it move to poke one’s eye and such means of damage as well in perception in the vestibular system. This system indicates sensory information about motion in the …show more content…
Parkinson diseases is due to a disorder in the central nerves system that has an effect on motor skills. In one of the chapter called ‘On the Level” (71-76) it deals with a man called Mr. MacGregor in a clinic dealing with Parkinson Disease (Sacks Oliver). Oliver Sakes does refer to a type of perception dealing with Parkinson’s disease, he states that, “derived from receptors in the joints and tendons-was only really defined as (and named ‘proprioception’)”. In Parkinson’s disease the linkage between neurological and perception is huge as it plays a huge role in motor sensors in the body controlled none other than kinesthesia. In Parkinson’s disease, the part of perception known as kinesthesia deals with the movement of the joints and the change of movement. The movement of the joints whenever in Parkinson’s diseases actually leads to the impairment of the Kinesthesia perception in the body. The linkage between Neurological disorders and how perception works in your body are very similar and really affect each other when neurological diseases affect the
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat Analysis

the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, the author introduces the idea of our secret sense or our sixth sense. This hidden sense is referred to as proprioception. In order to comprehend the target concept of proprioception, we must research the base concept, the study of perception. The study of perception and its different aspects will help us understand proprioception and the importance of the sixth sense. Chapter three of the book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, looks at proprioception…

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