Neurological Basis for Hallucinations

The primary theme of the novel is the concept that there is a neurological basis for many hallucinations that is not the result of mental illness. Sacks is quick to point out that one of the major points of the novel is to combat the idea that hallucinations, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or otherwise, can occur to common people in common situations, and do not necessitate a diagnosis of a mental disorder. Each hallucination mentioned in the novel has, at least as a suggestion, a neurological basis, from epilepsy to excitation in various places to damage in the areas that affect sight. Sacks has both personal and third hand stories of the hallucinations present in a variety of situations, and in all cases, a neurological basis can be found. Sacks does mention, as well, that in several circumstances, patients have been misdiagnosed as mentally...