Dr. Sachs

["Bruce Warr; IFSM (FACULTY)" <warr@xxxxxxxx>]

Dr. Oliver Sachs=92 lecture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore=20
County was about restructuring our perception of the world around us due=20
to neurological factors. He first discussed how we create our view of=20
the world throuhg our senses and then gave several illustrations of how=20
=93normal=94 people who suffer from color-blindness, blindness, deafness,=
=20
etc., are forced to rebuild their concept of reality. He also included=20
the opposite situation: someone deaf or blind from birth suddenly being=20
able to hear or see.=20

Adaptation is usully very slow at first but then increases relatively=20
quickly. New patterns form in our neurosynapses and the areas of the=20
brain where the prior function resided are now used for other functions.=20
Some people get to the point that they not only no longer miss the prior=20
function but would not want it restored if given the chance.

Part of the problems encountered in restructuring our view of the world=20
lie with others. They have to accept that our view had changed and try=20
to see things from our point of view. A artist who became color-blind=20
and had stopped painting for a long while eventually started back. When=20
his friends looked at his latest paintings they looked like a mass of=20
incomprehensible colors, but when someone took black and white polaroid=20
pictures of the paintings they then saw the beautiful composition of=20
grey-tones the artist saw.

Dr. Sachs then discussed neurological conditions such as autism where a=20
person=92s concept of the world may have the form but not the substance of=
=20
the perceptions of others. He related how he was traveling through=20
Colorado and Utah with Temple Grandon (?), a doctor who is autistic. One=20
day he was enthralled by the beauty of the mountains and of the sunset.=20
He asked Temple if she was enjoying the sight. Her reply was that she=20
knew it was beautiful but did not know what beauty meant. She could=20
recognize the technical aspects of what we call beauty (the form) but=20
lacked the emotional reaction (the substance) generally associated with=20
the perception.

He concluded his lecture by stating that whatever the=20
disability/challenge, there was one sense it is critical to maintain,=20
and that is a sense of humor (<giggles> for Barb, et al.).

As the token Parkie on the UMBC faculty I got a brief chance to talk=20
with Dr. Sachs. Although still interested in Parkinsons=92 Disease the=20
thrust of his current research is in the area of altering perceptions=20
due to neurotropic factors.

A note to those who inquired: Dr. Sachs=92 presentation was at the request=
=20
of the UMBC Humanities Forum and not part of a lecture tour. He does not=20
know if/when he may embark on one.

Your Cyber-bro reporting from Parkie Central.

Bruce
56/9
Sinemet CR and Mirapex
http://umbc.edu/~warr


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bruce G. Warr               "Experience is what enables us to recognize
Healthcare Informatics Lab   a mistake the next time we make it."
Information Systems Dept.
University of Maryland Baltimore County

http://umbc.edu/~warr/
(V) (410)455-3206
(F) (410)455-1073

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