Oliver Sacks, the esteemed British neurologist and medical writer had died in his home in New York City. The "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" author, who is hailed as the poet laureate of medicine, succumbed to cancer yesterday. He was 82 years old.
Back in February, Sacks opened up about his illness in an essay published by New York Times. There, he revealed that a melanoma in his eye has made its way to his liver before he made it official that he was already in the late stages of terminal cancer.
In the essay, he wrote that his "luck has run out" and that he is one of the "unlucky ones" after discovering the truth about his ailment and its irreversible conditions nine years back. He came to terms with the fact that although the spreading can be slowed down, his cancer will eventually take its toll.
He, however, did not sulk on the severity of his situation. Though recognizing that he was "face to face with dying," the awe-inspiring "Awakening" author did not forget to look on the bright side. "I feel grateful that I have been granted nine years of good health and productivity since the original diagnosis."
Sacks is considered a pillar in his field, having authored "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "The Island of the Colorblind," groundbreaking volumes about uncommon medical conditions.
As per The Guardian, his most notable work, "Awakenings" is a narrative of patients that woke up in a catatonic state years after being treated with a drug. That was back in 1966 and the site reports that 1966 these patients were in "strange, frozen states, like human statues" for decades.
"Awakenings" inspired the play "A Kind of Alaska" by Harold Pinter. Hollywood took a stab at a film adaptation back in 1990. The movie of the same name featured Robert De Niro and Robin Williams and was recognized by Oscars as a potential best picture film.
Sacks was born in London but lived in New York since 1965, as per BBC. He was a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Centre for five years starting 2007. In his memoir titled "Uncle Tungsten," he discussed his childhood, his love for science and his medical background.
His publicist Jacqui Graham remembered Sacks, telling BBC that the neurologist was "unlike anybody I have ever met." She adds how "he always taught us what it was to be human, and he taught us what it is to die."
Biologist Richard Dawkins, author JK Rowling and many notable people in the field of science and literary are one in paying tribute to the acclaimedand accomplished writer and neurologist.