A Leg to Stand On Paperback – April 29, 1998

This updated version of the autobiographical account by Dr Sacks of his experience of a short-term bout of inability to use his left leg allows Sacks to reflect possible causes for this condition. The updated version allows one to gain a unique perspective by Dr Sacks' of the turmoil of his illness. There are few autobiographical accounts of neurological disease by neuroscientists, and so such a view is to cherish.This is a slim book which would not require more than a few days to complete. Unfortunately, the text is padded by ruminations and divergent passages that make getting through the text difficult. My attention wandered, wanting to learn, "What happened next?" The illness occupied only a few weeks.Dr Sacks' prose of course is flowery, and he has a good grasp of diverse English literature. (I am writing in the present tense; Dr Sacks passed away in 2015. The illness in this book occurred in 1974.) When he sticks to describing the illness itself, one can have a vivid account of paralysis and self-identity.The book was early in the long literary course of Dr Sacks. I cannot help imagining that if a later Dr Sacks had written the book, it would have been more direct. A good editor could have been used.Close to the time of Dr Sacks' passing away, a debate occurred in the scientific literature what exactly had occurred to him. Dr Sacks speculates a loss of ability to mobilize his leg caused by some sort of a peripheral nerve injury, associated with a peculiar deficient of function in the spinal cord. Sacks himself witnessed similar (but still much different) phenomena in patients he had taken care of, and even reports a similar deficit in a pet dog. A different noted neurologist ventured that actually this was what is nowadays termed "functional neurological disorder," in earlier years termed hysteria, conversion disorder, or psychogenic disorder. Sacks rebutted the notion, but he left his mind open to the possibility.As a publishing neurologist myself, I side with the view that this was a functional neurological disorder, but not one that is founded on a foundation of anxiety or other psychiatric turmoil. More reports are appearing in the literature that some patients encounter impaired neurologic function following abrupt injuries, without the association of verifiable nervous system structural damage. These accounts, including Dr Sacks' experience, point to a kind of neurological dysfunction that is still very poorly understood, but it is very common and disabling. The good news is that such disorders can respond to concentrated physical therapy, as indeed assisted Dr Sacks himself.Regardless of one's own opinion what may have caused the difficulty, the account provides the reader the rare opportunity for a neurologist to visit his own nervous system dysfunction, a look from the "inside out" rather than the outside perspective of doctors looking at their patients, including Dr Sacks himself in his many other wonderful books.

Sacks brilliantly chronicles his experiences as a neurological patient. His experience came from a mountain climbing expedition, where he totally broke a leg and severed or damaged the femoral nerve in his leg. This book is his story of recovery from that intense and serious accident.What Sacks concentrates on in his story are the feelings of patients, particularly his own, who have serious neurological problems and how those feelings translate to the condition itself, or the condition translates to the feelings. His most significant commentary has to do with the feelings regarding the disassociation with the affected body part. One starts to feel that it is foreign, no longer a natural part of the body. And, that it no longer exists and will never again exist to the patient.In addition, he carefully points out the non-recognition of these patient feelings by his Neurologist who sees himself more as a fixer of mechanical problems with the body, rather than a Dr. treating a real live human being with feelings of alienation of the limb and alienation from society. Sacks writing style is sophisticate and beautiful, a rare combination for a doctor, but he achieves it like always with exquisite aplomb. The book is highly recommended for all readers interested in physical recovery, especially those who have had a significant neurological problem.

He holds nothing back in his experience as patient. Remarkable ability to describe the total disconnection from a part of his own body. And to recall and revel in the return to wholeness.

This book was very interesting as long as the author was describing his situation; but he developed his whole experience into a new neurological course of study with discussions and references to other scientists which I was just not interested in. I skipped the last few pages and yet I recognize that important things were discovered about the patient and the patient doctor relationship which had previously been totally overlooked. So the book is an IMPORTANT book but it was not really aimed at me. Also, I had never had an experience like his even remotely. I was attracted to the book by the idea of a DOCTOR having the same experiences as a patient and learning from that experience. But I had never had that experience and what he learned was above my level of expertise. I think I expected something more homey. I had not known anything about the author ahead of time except he was a doctor. I'm thinking in my head "family physician, or general surgeon". So if YOU are the RIGHT audience (student of medicine?, neurologist?, or philosopher?,) this might be the book for you.

As always Dr. Sacks writes a very well told story, in this case a very personal one. Having survived a very serious accident and major injury to his leg, he is led to reflect deeply on patient doctor relationships and his sensitive analysis leads to insights into the potential improvement of current medical practices in situations such as he himself experienced. In the course of his reflections he delves deeply into the nature of our body self image and how we tend to automatically dismiss and denigrate the infirmity of others. His account of his injury and of the entire healing and recovery process is in many ways heroic and should prove to be an inspiration to others who have suffered traumatic injury. Perhaps unusually, he is moved in a deeply religious way to reflect on his recovery.

Ho Incominciato a leggerlo appena fuori dalla busta! Un libro importante, di cui ho saputo dal blog Marginalia di Maria Popova.

Fascinating...odd and brilliant.

I love anything by Oliver Sacks...he's so eloquent and passionate.

Fantastic book, reveals much about the human mind and its vulnerable connection to the body.

I found this to be Sacks’s easiest read; it was also different from his other works, those which I have read, in that the focus is entirely on him being the patient, albeit a medical one.OS has quite a distinct style, especially in the field of illness narrative, with plenty of allusions and literary references, and the narrative arc follows what I thought was a pleasing rebirth trajectory.My previous encounters with OS have ended, sadly, before getting to the final page, as I have found the in-depth medical discussions a bit too intrusive to fully enjoy the ‘story’. I approached this book with a similar sense of apprehension and was pleasantly surprised.This is a book about a doctor coping with an unexpected illness, it’s not a ‘misery-memoir’, and is generally very easy to read, except maybe right at the end when non-clinicians may find the neurology a bit too detailed. I’ve given it four stars, but I’d rate it as a 7/10.