
Oliver Sacks has died - aburan28
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/science/oliver-sacks-dies-at-82-neurologist-and-author-explored-the-brains-quirks.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0
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leothekim
His last op-ed in the NY Times:
[http://nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/oliver-sacks-
sa...](http://nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/oliver-sacks-sabbath.html)

"And now, weak, short of breath, my once-firm muscles melted away by cancer, I
find my thoughts, increasingly, not on the supernatural or spiritual, but on
what is meant by living a good and worthwhile life — achieving a sense of
peace within oneself. I find my thoughts drifting to the Sabbath, the day of
rest, the seventh day of the week, and perhaps the seventh day of one’s life
as well, when one can feel that one’s work is done, and one may, in good
conscience, rest.”

~~~
rodgerd
> my once-firm muscles melted away by cancer

A less-known side of Sacks: he held the California state record for a 600 lb
squat in his younger years.

~~~
bashinator
He also had a collection of every atomic element. That's no small
accomplishment.

~~~
girvo
Oh wow, that's genuinely impressive. I'm guessing it wouldn't have the
synthetic elements, but still -- amazing.

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reuven
Sacks was clearly a great doctor in many ways. But he'll probably be better
known, and remembered, for popularizing science and medicine in a way that we
rarely see: He describes people's symptoms carefully, but also
sympathetically. He treats patients using science, which is supposed to be
dispassionate, but does so with what's obviously a great deal of care. And he
reveals science to us, not as a cold set of rules that govern the world, but
as something that provides us with an infinitely large number of wondrous,
almost miraculous, combinations of events.

Sacks articulated -- perhaps not explicitly -- that science isn't merely
reductionist, cold, logical, and unemotional. He loved learning new things,
and was clearly overjoyed to learn, understand, and appreciate the amazing
universe in which we live.

It has been many years since I read, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,"
but I remember loving every page. His later books aren't as famous, but his
writing continued to be enchanting and inviting, even when the subjects
weren't necessarily my cup of tea.

We in Western societies tend to shut down discussions of death, and what it
means. The writing that Sacks produced over the last year have been some of
the most poignant, chilling, and inspiring essays that he produced. It's sad
that he's gone, but I'm grateful that he shared so much of his work, and his
life (and ultimately death) with all of us.

~~~
jonahx
> The writing that Sacks produced over the last year have been some of the
> most poignant, chilling, and inspiring essays that he produced. It's sad
> that he's gone, but I'm grateful that he shared so much of his work, and his
> life (and ultimately death) with all of us.

I'd like to read it. Which pieces are you referring to (besides the Sabbath
piece, which I've read)?

~~~
readymade
[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/oliver-sacks-on-
le...](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/oliver-sacks-on-learning-he-
has-terminal-cancer.html)

[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/opinion/my-periodic-
table....](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/opinion/my-periodic-table.html)

------
brianclements
“My religion is nature. That’s what arouses those feelings of wonder and
mysticism and gratitude in me.” -- Oliver Sacks

Oliver now gets to take all the elements he borrowed, and that he loved so
dearly, and return them back to the stars from which they came. His spirit has
dissolved now into it's new form as a complex abstract of memories, ideas, and
collective appreciation, where it will now live alongside nature; it's
original muse and creator.

------
akbarnama
[http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/opinion/my-periodic-
tab...](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/opinion/my-periodic-
table.html?referrer=&_r=1) "Times of stress throughout my life have led me to
turn, or return, to the physical sciences, a world where there is no life, but
also no death."

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dragly
It's sad to hear that he died. I just started reading his book, "The Man Who
Mistook His Wife for a Hat". It's an extremely interesting book about the case
stories of some of his most interesting patients. The book gives a lot of
insight into the lives of patients with the strangest brain dysfunctions, and
puts into perspective many of the things we take for granted, such as how we
recognize facial expressions, our own body and more. I'd definitely recommend
it to anyone who's interested in neuroscience or even artificial intelligence.

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zgniatacz
recent radiolab episode [http://www.radiolab.org/story/archives-oliver-sacks-
table-el...](http://www.radiolab.org/story/archives-oliver-sacks-table-
elements/)

~~~
m_mueller
I recommend [1] as well where radiolab basically says goodbye to him and he
tells his life story. That one hit me so hard because he obviously went out
with his full mental capacity, leaving an even bigger gap.

[1] [http://www.radiolab.org/story/radiolab-live-telltale-
hearts-...](http://www.radiolab.org/story/radiolab-live-telltale-hearts-
featuring-oliver-sacks/)

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ablation
A great loss, made no less shocking for all its foreshadowing due to his
illness. The knowledge he shared through his work and his books have had a
lasting impact on my life and the lives of others. Would that we all leave
such a legacy.

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danieltillett
It is always sad when a person curious about the world dies. He provided me
with many stimulating hours of reading and for that I will miss him.

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steve_g
And he could squat 600 lbs, when he was younger of course.

[https://media2.wnyc.org/i/620/599/l/80/1/Sacks_Lifting_dr_sq...](https://media2.wnyc.org/i/620/599/l/80/1/Sacks_Lifting_dr_squat.jpg)

That's not a trivial weight.

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noobie
I am sad he died but I am so glad he'd lived.

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DanBC
His autobiography, which he read on BBC Radio Four, was fascinating.
Especially hos description of his addiction to drugs and his recovery.

[1] sadly not still available. It's proba ly around from other sources.
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b062jsmz](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b062jsmz)

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alayne
I liked this little personal piece about his desk/apartment
[http://sciencefriday.com/video/11/09/2012/desktop-diaries-
ol...](http://sciencefriday.com/video/11/09/2012/desktop-diaries-oliver-
sacks.html)

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jane_is_here
He contibuted more to literature, if it can be called that, than to neurology.
His writings were akin to the breathless articles in Wired on the "AMAZING
DIGITAL FUTURE".

If you want to read real neurology, as opposed to the neurology case studies
for the unwashed masses that Sacks churned out, Lord Brain's Diseases of the
Nervous System ( now in the 12th edition ) is a classic.
[http://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780198569381.001...](http://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780198569381.001.0001/med-9780198569381)

~~~
amyjess
> churned out

I think this might explain why what Sacks did was _important_ and not
something simply "churned out": [https://xkcd.com/397/](https://xkcd.com/397/)

