The Simple Things
Encephalitis lethargica is a disease that attacks the brain and can cause symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and fatigue or lethargy. During the 1920s there were people falling sick to this illness and in acute cases they would be left in a coma. In an article by the BBC, it described people who had fallen ill due to encephalitis lethargica as "living statues" and this is how these patients were portrayed in the movie I watched.
I remember as a child sitting down and watching a movie with my mom and siblings. The movie was called "Awakenings" and I could remember that it starred Robin Williams. The movie is about a neurologist named Malcolm Sayer, who is played by Williams, and he begins working at a chronic conditions hospital in the Bronx in the late 60s. It tells the story of his work he did with patients who had suffered encephalitis as young people in the 1920s and as a result of their illness, they were now catatonic in their older age. Catatonia is when a person has no voluntary movement or speech and like written earlier, they are essentially statues unable to engage in life around them. The other main character is Leonard Lowe, played by Robert De Niro, who was 11 years-old when he first showed signs of encephalitis. It began when one of his hands was spastic and he had a tremor after carving something into a wooden bench. The story with Dr. Sayer begins 30 years after Leonard showed symptoms on encephalitis lethargica. Leonard's mother tells Dr. Sayer that her son has been in the chronic conditions hospital for 21 years and he has not spoken in that same amount of time.
The movie, without spoiling too much of the movie, tells the story of Dr. Sayer "waking up" the encephalitis patients while using the radical drug L-dopa. It is a beautiful story that explores the meaning of life and how to be grateful.
I ventured to learn more about encephalitis lethargica because movies obviously tend to embellish and I wanted to know more of the symptoms and causes. In the article I found from the BBC, they talk about how some scientists think they know what causes encephalitis and why it has the effect it does on people. It is believed that the body's immune response to a bacteria is what causes it to attack the brain. I also wanted to learn about what it meant for someone to be catatonic, because I did not know if it were an antiquated term or not. I learned more about something in history of which I was not well aware. I also learned about a neurological disease that has affected many people with devastating consequences. Understanding what some people have faced and will face, allows for me to walk in someone else's shoes and to try to understand others. I learned how occupation can be affected greatly by illness and any small thing a person is able to do should be celebrated.
"Awakenings" had an effect on me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it. It does not end in the way that I had hoped, but it ends in a meaningful way still. The story teaches people to not take life for granted and to cherish even the small things in life.
Harrison-Hansley, M. (2004, July 27). Mystery of the forgotten
plague. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3930727.stm
Marshall, P. (Director). (1990). Awakenings [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2019, March 27). Encephalitis
lethargica. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Encephalitis-Lethargica-
Information-Page#disorders-r1
WebMD. (2019, January 24). What is catatonia. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/what-is-
catatonia#1
I remember as a child sitting down and watching a movie with my mom and siblings. The movie was called "Awakenings" and I could remember that it starred Robin Williams. The movie is about a neurologist named Malcolm Sayer, who is played by Williams, and he begins working at a chronic conditions hospital in the Bronx in the late 60s. It tells the story of his work he did with patients who had suffered encephalitis as young people in the 1920s and as a result of their illness, they were now catatonic in their older age. Catatonia is when a person has no voluntary movement or speech and like written earlier, they are essentially statues unable to engage in life around them. The other main character is Leonard Lowe, played by Robert De Niro, who was 11 years-old when he first showed signs of encephalitis. It began when one of his hands was spastic and he had a tremor after carving something into a wooden bench. The story with Dr. Sayer begins 30 years after Leonard showed symptoms on encephalitis lethargica. Leonard's mother tells Dr. Sayer that her son has been in the chronic conditions hospital for 21 years and he has not spoken in that same amount of time.
The movie, without spoiling too much of the movie, tells the story of Dr. Sayer "waking up" the encephalitis patients while using the radical drug L-dopa. It is a beautiful story that explores the meaning of life and how to be grateful.
I ventured to learn more about encephalitis lethargica because movies obviously tend to embellish and I wanted to know more of the symptoms and causes. In the article I found from the BBC, they talk about how some scientists think they know what causes encephalitis and why it has the effect it does on people. It is believed that the body's immune response to a bacteria is what causes it to attack the brain. I also wanted to learn about what it meant for someone to be catatonic, because I did not know if it were an antiquated term or not. I learned more about something in history of which I was not well aware. I also learned about a neurological disease that has affected many people with devastating consequences. Understanding what some people have faced and will face, allows for me to walk in someone else's shoes and to try to understand others. I learned how occupation can be affected greatly by illness and any small thing a person is able to do should be celebrated.
"Awakenings" had an effect on me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it. It does not end in the way that I had hoped, but it ends in a meaningful way still. The story teaches people to not take life for granted and to cherish even the small things in life.
Harrison-Hansley, M. (2004, July 27). Mystery of the forgotten
plague. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3930727.stm
Marshall, P. (Director). (1990). Awakenings [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2019, March 27). Encephalitis
lethargica. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Encephalitis-Lethargica-
Information-Page#disorders-r1
WebMD. (2019, January 24). What is catatonia. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/what-is-
catatonia#1
Comments
Post a Comment