Robert Coles, Randy Testa, Joseph O'donnell, Penny Armstrong, and M. Brownell Anderson (2002). A Life in Medicine. New York, New York. The New Press
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Man Who Mistook his wife for Hat
I found this whole story to be very interesting and I think a lot of it had to do with the person Dr. P was. Despite the fact that he was unable to see the whole of an object he still remained very artistic and highly skilled in song. It is fascinating that when one part of the brain fails the rest of it functions without a hitch. As for the narrator of the story, if I were him I would have done more for the man. Maybe have tried to find the route of his problem and fix it. I feel that the transformation his artwork took shows that whatever condition he had it was gradual so that might lead to an explanation. He could rule out a recent blunt trauma because of that. At the same time that I feel he should have followed and solved the case, I also see why he made his decision not to. Dr. P didn't actually feel that he had a problem, to the question "What seems to be the matter?" Dr. P said "nothing that I know of, but people seem to think there's something wrong with my eyes." And to the next question of "But you don't recognise any visual problems?" He replied "No, not directly, but I occasionally make mistakes." Dr. P's condition was not really affecting his life. His life was art and music, which his condition wasn't affecting at all. If the narrator did stay on the case and find a tumor or something else that needed to be removed, that may have affected his artistic and then it would have had an affect on his life. Dr. P was not hindered by his condition in any way so there was no need to correct it.
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this article does present an interesting case study. and, as you note, raises the question about when a doctor should intervene. if a condition leads to mistakes from time to time but doesn't otherwise interfere in a person's life, should the doctor go to great lengths to solve what in this case seems to be more of a problem for others than it is for the patient. this article was actually written quite a while ago, in the days before managed care and everyone going to the doctor for every little thing. that might account for the doctor's decision. but the article still might give contemporary readers pause: they might wonder if they share P's type of condition: do others notice things wrong about me that i don't notice?
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