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A Leg to Stand On

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SKU:
1148
Condition:
Very Good
Format:
Paperback, 222 pages
Publisher:
Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1987
Edition:
First Perennial Library Edition, Third Printing
In his books Migraine, Awakenings, and the best-selling The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Dr. Oliver Sacks has been acclaimed for his extraordinary compassion in the treatment of patients affected with profound neurological disorders. In A Leg to Stand On, it is Sacks himself who is the patient: an encounter with a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway has left him with a severely damaged leg. But what should be a routine recuperation is actually the beginning of a strange medical journey, when he finds that his leg uncannily no longer feels part of his body. Sacks' brilliant description of his crisis and eventual recovery are not only an illuminating examination of the experience of a patienthood and the inner nature of illness and health, but also a fascinating exploration of the physical basis of identity.

In his books Migraine, Awakenings, and the best-selling The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Dr. Oliver Sacks has been acclaimed for his extraordinary compassion in the treatment of patients affected with profound neurological disorders.

In A Leg to Stand On, it is Sacks himself who is the patient: an encounter with a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway has left him with a severely damaged leg.  But what should be a routine recuperation is actually the beginning of a strange medical journey, when he finds that his leg uncannily no longer feels part of his body.  Sacks' brilliant description of his crisis and eventual recovery are not only an illuminating examination of the experience of a patienthood and the inner nature of illness and health, but also a fascinating exploration of the physical basis of identity.

Editorial Reviews

“A neurologist in [the] great tradition....A story about the nature of selfhood—a narrative comparable to Conrad’s ‘The Secret Sharer.’” —Jerome Bruner, The New York Review of Books
 
“In calling for a ‘neurology of the soul’ and a ‘deeper and more humane medicine,’ Sacks’s remarkable book raises issues of profound importance for everyone interested in health care and the humane application of science.” —The Washington Post
 
“Superb...Dr. Sacks tells the story of an extraordinary experience...that brought him not merely near death but in an intimate tango with it danced to the sound of life itself.” —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
 
“In this extraordinary book, Sacks chronicles his own journey from traumatic injury to health. By so doing, he built a bridge of understanding between himself and his patients that became the foundation of what he called ‘a new and deeper medicine.’” —Steve Silberman, author, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

About the Author

Dr. Oliver Sacks spent more than fifty years working as a neurologist and writing books about the neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Awakenings. The New York Times referred to him as "the poet laureate of medicine," and over the years, he received many awards, including honors from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal College of Physicians. His memoir, On the Move, was published shortly before his death in August 2015.