An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales

Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder. Asperger’s differs from other forms of autism in the patients’ ability to utilize language effectively and in their lack of learning disabilities. Patients typically struggle with social cues and nonverbal communication. Grandin may have Asperger’s syndrome as opposed to the classical autism that Stephen displays, although as a child her symptoms had more in common with the latter.

Cerebral achromatopsia is a condition in which a person loses their ability to see color due to damage to the V4 cortex. Sacks and Wasserman examine Jonathan I., who they believe suffers from cerebral achromatopsia, in the essay “The Color-Blind Patient.” This brain damage cannot be reversed.

Color agnosia is a condition in which the patient cannot associate colors with language and perception. Color anomia, by contrast, is the inability to differentiate colors from one another. Sacks and Wasserman work to determine if Virgil suffers from these conditions in “To See and Not to See.”

Color blindness is the inability to see or differentiate between certain colors; there are different forms of color blindness, ranging from the inability to distinguish particular shades (e.g. red and green) to the total absence of color vision. Color blindness is typically genetic and inherited, although it can be the result of a disease or disorder. Jonathan I. in “The Color-Blind Painter” is disturbed by his sudden and complete color blindness after an accident, particularly given his vocation as an artist and painter.

The diencephalon is the region of the brain that helps to regulate motor functions, alertness, sleep, and other basic functions. Greg F. in “The Last Hippie” suffers from a brain tumor that damages the diencephalon, altering his personality to make him more docile and passive.

“Idiot savant” is a historical term for a person with a learning and/or developmental disability who has an innate talent for a particular creative or intellectual interest. Sacks discusses the “idiot savant” as it relates to Stephen Wiltshire in “Prodigies.” The term is no longer widely used because of its pejorative connotations.

Mimesis occurs when a person reflexively mimics or imitates the behaviors of other people. This behavior sometimes appears in individuals with autism, who may imitate the feelings of others or (as in the case of Stephen in “Prodigies") mimic the style or work of others to represent reality as literally as possible.

This is a form of (typically benign) brain tumor. Greg F. suffers from a meningioma in “The Last Hippie” that causes brain damage when left untreated.

Pickwickian syndrome is a depression in the respiratory system within the brain due to obesity. Virgil develops Pickwickian syndrome due to rapid weight gain as well as other medical complications after a severe bout of pneumonia.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a rare genetic disorder that causes the loss and destruction of light-sensitive cells within the retina, typically leading to vision issues or partial blindness. Virgil is falsely diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a child, leading him to believe that he had gone completely blind.

Tourette syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system leading to uncontrollable movements, tics, sounds, and in some cases outbursts of obscene words. Dr. Carl Bennett in “The Last Surgeon” has Tourette syndrome yet has learned to keep it under control while performing surgeries and flying.