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Encephalitis Lethargica Awakenings

Dr. Oliver Sacks arrives at Bainbridge Hospital to work as a clinical neurologist. He finds patients there in a catatonic state due to encephalitis lethargica from an epidemic in the early 20th century. Dr. Sacks administers the drug L-DOPA to the patients, awakening them from their decades-long sleep-like states. While a miracle at first, the drug's effects prove to have limitations. The book details these cases and discoveries.

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Iulia Florina
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122 views9 pages

Encephalitis Lethargica Awakenings

Dr. Oliver Sacks arrives at Bainbridge Hospital to work as a clinical neurologist. He finds patients there in a catatonic state due to encephalitis lethargica from an epidemic in the early 20th century. Dr. Sacks administers the drug L-DOPA to the patients, awakening them from their decades-long sleep-like states. While a miracle at first, the drug's effects prove to have limitations. The book details these cases and discoveries.

Uploaded by

Iulia Florina
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

AWAKENINGS

Roșca Iulia
Contents

■ Oliver Sacks
■ Introduction
■ Awakenings
■ Encephalitis lethargica
■ Refrences
Oliver Sacks

■ A British neurologist, naturalist,


historian of science and author.
■ The brain is “the most incredible
thing in the universe”
■ Known for writing case histories
about his patients and his own
disorders
■ Musicophilia: Tales of Music and
Brain (“Musical Minds”)
■ Awakenings
Introduction
■ Published in 1973
■ Non-fiction book
■ 1974 the book won the Hawthornden Prize
■ 1990 Oscar-nominated film, Awakenings
starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams
Awakenings

■ Dr. Malcom Sayer (Dr. Oliver Sacks) arrives at the Bainbridge Hospital,
to begin a new career as a clinical neurologist
■ Patients in a sleep-like state
■ Encephalitis lethargica epidemic (1915-1926)
■ Severe Parkinson’s-like symptoms
■ L-DOPA
■ All the patients are returned to life
■ Miracle drug has its limits
Encephalitis lethargica
■ Also known as “Sleeping sickness”
■ The Great Encephalitis Pandemic (1915-1926)
■ First described in 1917 by neurologist Constantin von Economo
■ The causes are uncertain

Signs and
Symptoms:
1. High fever
2. Sore throat
3. Headache
4. Letargy
5. Double vision
6. Catatonia
7. Coma-like state
Refrences

■ [Link]
■ https://
[Link]/health/100-years-later-the-lessons-of-enc
ephalitis-lethargica
■ https://
[Link]/books/2016/apr/18/100-best-nonfiction-books-1
2-awakenings-oliver-sacks
■ [Link]
■ [Link]

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