Neuroscience: The Case of the Colorblind Painter [An Anthropologist on Mars part 2]

As addressed in an earlier post, Oliver Sacks, a Neuroscientist, writes in a particular style. Case studies. The Case of the Colorblind Painter is an example of a case study done by him in his book An Anthropologist on Mars. So this case study will follow the themes he wrote about in the beginning of his book, adaptation. The story is very interesting, it is about a painter who went colorblind in an accident and how he adapts to the inevitable changes that come his way. But what is really important for me is trying to understand how Oliver Sacks formatted his case study, and what type of writing style he used while writing it.

Note: written in first person

The beginning of the case study was a letter, written by the colorblind painter asking for help. It is important to note that Oliver Sack did not address his actual name, instead he was called Mr. I. Then Sack goes and describes what he initially believes the painter to be struggling from. Despite using medical terminology he does this in a way that the everyday person could understand. In fact it is very easy to read, its not just fact after fact. It has a nice flow to it that is used in descriptive writing. Next he explains the impact of color. Then he goes to meet the client. Note that whenever he notices that the client says a symptom towards a certain disorder he puts it in parenthesis. The person explains to Oliver Sack, this has more detail than the letter. He explains how this condition affects his everyday life. He then goes into a more emotional way of writing when he writes down how this condition makes Mr. I feel. Obviously being a painter it really affected him negatively, and you can feel that through the writing. Eventually there is an adaptation breakthrough as the painter learns how to still be an artist with this condition. Sack then goes into past studies of people with similar symptoms to Mr. I. He also explains Goethe's color theory and other studies that could relate to this case. Sacks then went back to Mr. I and how it was a clear case of cerebral achromatopsia, and explained how his symptoms, and the symptoms for this disorder. He found a solution to the prognosis but, it didn't eliminate the issue, it just made it more tolerable to live with. Mr. I cam to terms with his condition after battling for such a long time, he has settled "neurologically and psychologically." He was able to become a successful black and white painter. Then Sacks summarizes all that he explained. Overall it was an interesting read that I feel a lot of artist would enjoy.

Mr. I's vision: