The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat Essay

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Recommended: The relationship between music and the brain

The study of the relationship between the brain and music began in 1900’s, but wasn’t well-known as there was little studies done on the topic, however as years passed with greater advancements within technology and further in-depth studies, we have gained the ability to enhance our understanding on how the brain functions with music to enhance life. In Oliver Sacks’ novel, “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat”, he displays his interest in different neurological diseases and how it has affected individuals within their lives in term of losses. Throughout the first part of the novel, Oliver Sack’s does studies on how neurological deficiencies damages causes lack of brain functions on behaviours and standards of living. This idea is further expanded and exemplified through Dr. Jim Davies of Carleton University, as he describes this concept through his PowerPoint on the connections of “learning and memory in representations of cognitive science” and how it affects an individual. In the case of Dr. P’s neurological disease, it displays how humans can use music to communicate …show more content…

P, we see that he had lived a normal healthy lifestyle and was a talented musical teacher, however, during his time of teaching he had developed a rare disorder. In this quote, it is seen that Dr. P suffered from a neurological disorder from which he would often mistaken inanimate objects for people such as mistaking his wife for a hat, as well as has a problem recognising people by face. He lacks the ability to store short and long term memories as he battles with the struggles of neurological diseases. Therefore, it is evident that he struggles with retrograde amnesia, which is the lack to grasp as well as store memories from the past, as well as anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to make new memories. Therefore, with the lost of these memories, Dr. P’s only way of expressing himself is through his art as he suffers from a loss to concept basic

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