An Anthropologist on Mars

Sacks was a British born neurologist that spent the majority of his professional life in the United States. In addition to being a well-known physician, Sacks was also a naturalist and author who wrote many best-selling books; including, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and An Anthropologist on Mars. A common motif that is explored throughout An Anthropologist on Mars is sight. The multiple section of An Anthropologist on Mars details longitudinal case studies, with a majority of them pertaining to discrepancies in visual perception; however, all of them pertaining to individuals that use their afflictions as a source of creativity. Sight happens to be a very relatable topic of interest to Sacks, since he was documented as having been diagnosed prosopagnosia, or the impairment of facial recognition. As a physician, Oliver Sacks fosters a relationship with the individuals of his case studies that transcends the traditional doctor and patient relationship. In the section The Last Hippie, Sacks visits his patient Greg in an in an assisted living facility for several years and even indulges Greg and his love of rock music by arranging to take him to a Grateful Dead concert. In An Anthropologist on Mars, sacks outlines each of his case studies with a different section of the novel that are all mutually exclusive from one another. These sections illustrate: a color-blind painter, a blind man who believes he is living in the sixties, a surgeon with Tourette’s syndrome, a man…

An Anthropologist from Mars - Review British neurologist’s Oliver Sack’s first publishes Temple Grandin’s case study in The New Yorker magazine (Sacks, 1993), and then includes in his book ‘An Anthropologist in Mars’ (Sacks, 1995). This case study offers the reader an empathetic yet compassionate insight into day to day challenges experienced with living with autism from the perspective of World renowned Autism advocate and American Professor of Animal Science, Temple Grandin PH.D. Grandin…

Mariya Obukhovskaya- Eng 24 In his book “An Anthropologist on Mars”, Oliver Sacks often uses investigation to tell his stories. Through the use of investigation Sacks discusses seven medical stories of people with neurological conditions such as amnesia, blindness, Tourette syndrome and autism. Sackes investigates his subjects very thoroughly and writes several in-depth evaluations exploring his subjects along with other historical case studies of patients with similar symptoms. Sacks uses…

Over the years, the term “creativity” has been given numerous varying definitions. It appears as if each individual— a few of whom include Oliver Sacks, Sigmund Freud, and Jean Piaget— has his/her own unique understanding of the seemingly simple term. In analyzing Oliver Sacks’s An Anthropologist on Mars, the definition of creativity is a crucial factor in the clarification and appreciation of individuals with a variety of neurological disabilities. Without a universally accepted definition,…

In “An Anthropologist on Mars” Oliver Sacks investigates the label “autistic” within the spectrum there are many different levels of autism. Autism is a “disorder that develops in early childhood and causes problems in forming relationships and in communicating with other people.” Sometimes autism can be favorable but other times it can negatively affect people's lives. Through Oliver Sack’s visit with Temple Grandin, he demonstrates that having autism can be beneficial. Temple Garden who had…

In Oliver Sacks’ work, An Anthropologist on Mars, Sacks delves into the increasingly difficult task of defining creativity, ultimately illustrating that successful adaptation of the brain toward creativity depends on not only physical brain plasticity, but also the internal and external motivations of the victim, asserting that a creative mind holds the key for successful processing and acceptance of loss. Brain plasticity, as defined by the Society of Neuroscience, “refers to the extraordinary…

children with autism, we need to find the way to treat them. Children with autism, is a key issue may be a lack of pruning of the brain 's wiring. The new research has confirmed that autistic children have an overabundance of synapses in their brains. Autism is a biological disorder that roots in the human beings brain and slowly damages it in specific ways. Many parents disregard the change in the behavior of their children and thus ignore the possibility that their children may have some of…

Temple Grandin is an autistic American professor of animal science, best-selling author, and a consultant to animal livestock. Autism can be defined promptly as a mental disorder, in which the person seems, depending on the severity of the condition, to live in his or her own world. In Grandin’s early life, she lacked the abilities to read people’s emotions, expressions or understand others’ body language. All these disabilities made Grandin’s social life challenging, as she could not interpret…

Imagine a horrific world where the average temperature is -81oF, the atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide, and one year lasts approximately 687 days (“Mars Facts”). This seemingly inhospitable world is Mars, and recent debates have surfaced over whether humans should explore and settle it. Many believe that we as a species must venture onto planets beyond our own. The arguments in favor of colonization, however, often lack real support and make rushed and misguided assumptions. Analyzing available…

group that is stationed on Mars and how one of the memebers goes through a mental breakdown and experiences delusions. The story is narrated by the man himself and throughout the story, he himself starts questioning his sanity. High Weir takes the reader on a wild SF rollercoaster. Confusing the reader with the thoughts of the narrator and with the actual events taking place outside the narrators mind. Delany gives the reader a SF experience that could transition to the real world. There are…