Forgetting the Self

Sacks states in his preface that he desires to present the reader with a series of stories, not case studies. By depicting the lives of his patients in story form, Sacks brings back an important element many mental patients are stripped of: the self. The reader must question who or what robs the mental patient of the self. Is it the disease or the medical world which professes to want to help these individuals?

Any student of psychology, or any branch of medicine, will be exposed to countless case studies and reports on experimental groups. The student reads this information hoping to increase his own knowledge and learn all he can to help those in need. However, case studies and reports do not mention people as people. People are reduced to statistics, numbers grouped together according to common symptoms, treatment plans, or outcomes. There is no...