Sun Aug 30, 2015, 05:18 AM
DeadLetterOffice (1,352 posts)
Oliver Sacks Dies at 82; Neurologist and Author Explored the Brain’s Quirks
Source: NYT
Oliver Sacks, the neurologist and acclaimed author who explored some of the brain’s strangest pathways in best-selling case histories like “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” using his patients’ disorders as starting points for eloquent meditations on consciousness and the human condition, died Sunday at his home in New York City. He was 82. The cause was cancer, said Kate Edgar, his longtime personal assistant. Dr. Sacks announced in February, in an Op-Ed essay in The New York Times, that an earlier melanoma in his eye had spread to his liver and that he was in the late stages of terminal cancer. As a medical doctor and a writer, Dr. Sacks achieved a level of popular renown rare among scientists. More than a million copies of his books are in print in the United States, his work was adapted for film and stage, and he received about 10,000 letters a year. (“I invariably reply to people under 10, over 90 or in prison,” he once said.) Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/science/oliver-sacks-dies-at-82-neurologist-and-author-explored-the-brains-quirks.html?_r=0 Knew it was coming, but still so sad -- he inspired me so much when I was growing up.
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18 replies, 4228 views
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Author | Time | Post |
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DeadLetterOffice | Aug 2015 | OP |
bvf | Aug 2015 | #1 | |
eridani | Aug 2015 | #2 | |
n2doc | Aug 2015 | #3 | |
marble falls | Aug 2015 | #4 | |
alcina | Aug 2015 | #5 | |
llmart | Aug 2015 | #6 | |
arikara | Aug 2015 | #12 | |
mia | Aug 2015 | #7 | |
KT2000 | Aug 2015 | #8 | |
Name removed | Aug 2015 | #9 | |
Hekate | Aug 2015 | #13 | |
Name removed | Aug 2015 | #16 | |
hedgehog | Aug 2015 | #10 | |
dixiegrrrrl | Aug 2015 | #11 | |
Hekate | Aug 2015 | #14 | |
Dont call me Shirley | Aug 2015 | #15 | |
burrowowl | Aug 2015 | #17 | |
lostnfound | Aug 2015 | #18 |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 05:35 AM
bvf (6,604 posts)
1. I remember how devastated I was upon learning
of his illness.
He was an amazing writer and my introduction to Temple Grandin. ![]() |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 06:27 AM
eridani (51,907 posts)
2. Safe passage, Dr Sacks.
There were giants in those days....
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Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 07:04 AM
marble falls (47,684 posts)
4. I knew it wascoming but I am saddened it was to be this soon. Like with Jimmy Carter, I was....
to gain some more insight by his handling end times with grace. I am going to miss his writing very much, also.
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Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 08:27 AM
alcina (602 posts)
5. Like others, I knew this was coming
But it still saddens me more than I expected. RIP, Dr Sacks.
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Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 09:11 AM
llmart (14,105 posts)
6. He exited gracefully.....
I read his last editorial where he talked about his impending death. He had a very pragmatic approach to the end of his life. If you haven't already read it, you may want to. I especially liked his comment about no longer spending any more emotional energy on politics.
"I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential. I must focus on myself, my work and my friends. I shall no longer look at “NewsHour” every night. I shall no longer pay any attention to politics or arguments about global warming. This is not indifference but detachment — I still care deeply about the Middle East, about global warming, about growing inequality, but these are no longer my business; they belong to the future. I rejoice when I meet gifted young people — even the one who biopsied and diagnosed my metastases. I feel the future is in good hands." |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 09:41 AM
mia (8,172 posts)
7. A wonderful writer and a great man.
His writings will live on and inspire many. He taught us how to "Rest in Peace".
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/oliver-sacks-sabbath.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0 |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 11:52 AM
KT2000 (20,309 posts)
8. Thank you Dr. Sacks
You taught us so much and we are grateful.
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Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
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Response to Name removed (Reply #9)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 03:57 PM
Hekate (81,955 posts)
13. 'Scuse me? That's a very flippant and shallow assessment of a great man's work.
I get the impression that you have never actually read one of his books all the way through.
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Response to Hekate (Reply #13)
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Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 12:52 PM
hedgehog (36,286 posts)
10. .
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 01:07 PM
dixiegrrrrl (60,001 posts)
11. I have been reading his latest Op Eds online..
What a gracious man he was.
I am grateful he was with us as long as he was. |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 04:05 PM
Hekate (81,955 posts)
14. Dr. Sacks greatly deepened our understanding of the workings of the human brain....
I found his outlook to be very humane and kind. Each of the "cases" he described was a real person -- they never lost their personhood or humanity in his telling, and in fact regained those qualities for his readers.
One poster above thinks he put on a freak show for popular entertainment, but that is far from my experience. Safe passage, and rest in peace, Oliver Sacks. Thank you for your insights. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 04:33 PM
Dont call me Shirley (10,998 posts)
15. Oliver....
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 06:59 PM
burrowowl (16,582 posts)
17. RIP!
Response to DeadLetterOffice (Original post)
Sun Aug 30, 2015, 10:15 PM
lostnfound (15,535 posts)
18. Aww..what a pity.
Love his books, rest in peace.
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