Review Of ' V. C. B. L. T. S. Ramachandran ( B )

Phenomenon of Interest

Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for A Hat’ in 1985, it contains the bizarre, unique and extraordinary cases Sacks encountered as a neurologist. This book report is going to evaluate and include Dr. Sacks conclusions on the case studies recorded in ‘Part One: Losses’. ‘Losses’ covers 9 neurological disorders which are characterised by a ‘loss’ of some kind.

This book has been molded to be a breakdown of how various fields in science have progressed over centuries as mankind has advanced. The book starts off introducing the idea that the telling of natural history has changed numerous times as humans have evolved. We also learn to agree that our knowledge has been shaped by the tools available and the perceptions of its users. In the earliest stages of life, Muehlbauer states “…observers of the natural world had only their senses to work with, and were limited to visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory descriptions perceived by the unaided

The author starts off by recalling his personal experiences with phantom limbs. A young boy had a phantom limb phenomenon. The term phantom limb was first used by Silas Weir Mitchell in 1872. Phantom limb seems to occur because of the images created by the images of the body and makes the person always believe that it is all there even after an amputation. The body is basically trying to make sense of the amputation. It is not actually caused by incorrect neural activity. It is actually more built from the part of the brain that creates the mental image of the body. Turns out on 90 percent of amputee actually have a phantom limb experience. Researchers have tried to treat phantom limb with the mirrors and Virtual Reality.

However, it was not the same story with the left hands of the patients (connected to the right hemisphere). They could match and point at the objects without problem; proving again the lack of speech ability that the right hemisphere has.

What does it feel like to have a missing/paralyzed limb? I'm sure this question has popped into many of our heads at one point in time. You would think that the sensations and feelings from that limb would disappear altogether. However, for some people, they can still feel the presence of their limb even after it is gone. There is no clear answer as to why this happens, but one thing is for certain. A large percentage of people with phantom limbs will sometimes feel pain from that missing limb. There is nothing happening to the individual physically that would cause them to feel pain from their phantom limb. What is actually happening is that the nerves that are located at the area of amputation (the "stump") are sending signals to the brain, which tricks the brain into believing that the missing limb is still there. It is hypothesized that the brain may also interpret these signals as pain. I found this to be an interesting topic, as it gives a good example as to how our brains and nervous systems work when interpreting changes in the body.

Most of the readings discussed various surveys and the prevalence of phantom limb pain in amputees; the sky-high rates astounded me, especially being that I had not heard of this occurrence until this class. Then again, I am quite unfamiliar with the hardships amputees go through. The authors of Phantom Limb Pain, Steven R Hanling and Ralph E Tuttle shared information gathered from a 2009 survey stating 74.5% of amputees reported phantom limb pain, while only 45.2% reported stump pain. These figures surprised me—I thought a larger percentage would feel stump pain

For my final paper topic, I have chosen to discuss phantom limb pain. I was inspired to write about phantom limb pain after a recent visit to the Veterans Affairs hospital. I will be explaining the physiological aspects, including involvements of nerves, spinal cord, and the brain, as well as the psychological aspects, including grief, stress, depression and anxiety of phantom limb pain. According to Goldstein (2010), phantom limb pain is a phenomenon that a person whose limb has been amputated continues to experience the sensation of the limb (p.344). Along with the sensation of the amputated limb, patients can also experience pain, tingling, numbness, and temperature changes. People who were born without a limb can also experience phantom

Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID, also known as apotemnophilia and xenomelia) is a rare condition in which the person experiences a strong feeling of ‘overcompleteness’ with four limbs, causing an intense desire for amputation (1,2). Instead of a wish for amputation there may also be a desire to paralysis (3). These individuals do not suffer from delusions or psychosis, and fully understand the bizarre nature of their desire (2,4). At this time BIID is not included in the ICD-11 or DSM-5, causing this condition to be unknown by psychiatrists, neurologist and surgeons. Therefore there is no effective pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment option available (2). Only the requested amputation itself seems effective, but for ethical reasons those amputations are not preformed in regular healthcare (3). As a result BIID individuals often avoid healthcare and express their desire by pretending to be disabled or, in extreme cases, by eventually performing self-amputation (4–7).

A hallucination is defined as a sensory perception in the absence of an externally generated stimulus (4). They are different from illusions in that in an illusion an external object actually exists and is perceived, but is misinterpreted by the individual (4). Main forms of hallucinations are be visual, auditory, and olfactory, but since we have been discussing vision and interpretation of reality lately this paper will focus only on those that are visual. And I will attempt through the examination of two different types of visual hallucinations - release hallucinations and those experienced by schizophrenics - to make an argument for brain equals behavior.

Upon entering a new and fantastic world filled with creatures never before seen or described the Empress of the new world exemplifies the cultural attempt to use scientific hypothesis and reason to better understand the unknown. Introduced to individuals of colors ranging from azure to deep purple and all between, the Empress seeks to further evaluate this intriguing phenomenon wondering,“whether they were made by bare reflection of light, without the assistance of small particles , or by the help of well-ranged and ordered atoms, or by a continual agitation of little globules, or by some pressing and reacting motion” (Cavendish 1159). Margaret cavendish’s description of the Empress’ attempt to apply current scientific theories of molecules in evaluating the reasoning behind the bizarre colorings of the peoples of this new world exemplifies a new attempt to reach beyond bare visuals. She begins questioning and applying scientific knowledge to the world in order to better comprehend its workings. The Empress’ experience parallels the recent discovery and exploration of new worlds during the time of Cavendish and provides a fictional example of the way world explorers were attempting to better understand new species and lands through a scientific method of hypothesis and reasoning.

"I turned my chair to the fire and dozed. Again the atoms were gamboling before my eyes.... [My mental eye] could distinguish larger structures, of manifold conformation; long rows, sometimes more closely fitted together; all twining and twisting in snakelike motion. But look! What was that? One of the snakes had seized hold of its own tail, and the form whirled mockingly before my eyes. As if by a flash of lightning I awoke." (2).

Life has continually perplexed and fascinated individuals since the dawn of mankind. The subject’s complexity is so great even over the course of human existence only a minute fraction of its mysteries have been unraveled. A phenomenon which has always intrigued scientists is the origin of life on Earth, and in recent years significant advancements have been made in the understanding of this enigma. This essay will briefly outline two theories regarding life’s origin on Earth to further comprehend why an explanation for this phenomenon has been so difficult to reach.

Starting over 500 years ago with Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton paving the way for the possibility of new scientific exploration into studies such as “stratigraphy, the study of the rock and soil layers of the earth” by Robert Hooke and Carolus Linnaeus’ study of taxonomy, “the system of naming and classifying organisms” based on morphological similarities and differences, humanity would begin to uncrack the code of where life came from in a nonbiblical sense. (Fuentes, 26) Further studies by George-Louis Leclerc – Comte du Buffon, Erasmus Darwin (Charles’ grandfather), Georges Cuvier, James Hutton and Charles Lyell as well as Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet – Chevalier de Lamarck’s studies in which he “correctly identified the environment as a challenge to organisms and adaptation as the result of changing to meet environmental challenges” helped prompt the formulation of the current understanding of evolution by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace each in their own special way.

Through the pursuit of a greater understanding of the known universe, our forefathers encountered patterns and anomalies which, through their extensive study, they were able to further their understanding of the universe which so intrigued them. Patterns are a reliable sample of traits, tendencies, or other observable characteristics of a person, group or institution. They are a combination of qualities, acts or tendencies that form a consistent or characteristic arrangement. Their counterparts, Anomalies are irregularities. They are a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement or form. In other words, they are deviations from what is considered to be the norm, socially or scientifically. Patterns and anomalies have occurred within several instances in history. Dating back to the study of the heliocentric (the earth is round) nature of our planet by the famous Italian mathematician, physicist, philosopher and astronomer Galileo, man has always had a deep interest in the pursuit of knowledge to further our understanding of the natural world. And even as far back as the 17th century, patterns and anomalies had begun to arise and would later shape the way knowledge is gathered. Within Theory of Knowledge, patterns and anomalies have also occurred in the pursuit of knowledge. But first, what is this enigma we know to be knowledge. Knowledge can be said to be the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension. It is the