A Leg to Stand On

‘oliver Sacks Is A Perfect Antidote To The Anaesthetic Of Familiarity. His Writing Turns Brains And Minds Transparent’ - Observer When Oliver Sacks, A Physician By Profession, Injured His Leg While Climbing A Mountain, He Found Himself In An Unusual Position – That Of Patient. The Injury Itself Was Severe, But Straightforward To Fix; The Psychological Effects, However, Were Far Less Easy To Predict, Explain, Or Resolve: Sacks Experienced Paralysis And An Inability To Perceive His Leg As His Own, Instead Seeing It As Some Kind Of Alien And Inanimate Object, Over Which He Had No Control. A Leg To Stand On Is Both An Account Of Sacks’ Ordeal And Subsequent Recovery, And An Exploration Of The Ways In Which Mind And Body Are Inextricably Linked.