[bksvol-discuss] sort of OT; Oliver Sacks' An Anthropologist on Mars.
- From: Cindy <popularplace@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:42:06 -0700 (PDT)
I'm reading this book. It was requested by Chela, and because I 've always
found Sacks' books books fascinating, I borrowed it from the library.
Unforunately, I no longer scan except for missing pages occasionally.
It is, as are all his books, interesting. Of particular interest, I think, to
you who are blind or have blind relatives and friends, is the chapter I'm
reading now: To See and Not See.
It's about a man who, after being blind because of heavy cataracts for most of
his 50 years, had them removed. The chapter also refers to previous cases in
the literature. It brings out the relationship of sight to the brain, not just
the eyes. Perhaps some of you have had or know someone who has had a similar
experience. Even a 22-year-old man who had his vision restored after having
been blind since childhood had problems. Apparently because the sense of space
is learned through visual experience, it is difficult to adjust when one
suddenly has vision restored. And colors were a wonderful but confusing
experience. And recognizing a whole object, such as a dog or cat, which the
person had known only by touch.Putting all the different parts together. It's a
fascinating chapter, at least to me. As are they all.
I seem to remember reading once that deaf people who suddenly are able to a
hear fter an operation also have difficulty adjusting, and that some don't want
to have an operation to restore hearing for that reason.
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- » [bksvol-discuss] sort of OT; Oliver Sacks' An Anthropologist on Mars. - Cindy
