Write a well-organized Essay #1 of approximately 800 words How is the doctor/patient relationship

reflected in the stories and poems of William Carlos Williams (or William Eric Williams), as well as
the clinical tales by Oliver Sacks? Be sure to make some reference to at least five works in each of
these volumes (ten works in total). For W.C. Williams, be sure to include at least one poem, and for
Sacks, choose at least one work from each of the four sections of his book.

Since the beginning of time, the treatment of disease has contained a personal, customized
touch. In prehistoric times, many physicians related the symptoms of the disease on demons and the
patient’s personal life. Depending on the demon or god that was angered, the physician would go ahead
and provide a customized remedy that alleviated the symptoms. (Underwood, 2017) Since then, there is
a more analytical approach to accurately healing the ill. Even though the analytical approach is less
personal now, William Carlos Williams and Oliver Sacks make their approaches and bedside manner
personal.

Williams Carlos Williams was a physician during the Great Depression who had an affection for
writing and poetry. Williams worked for poor people and committed his life to treating the working
individuals of New Jersey. In this book, he details many of the people he has seen during his patient
visits. In The Girl with the Pimply Face, Williams goes out of his way to provide help for a girl who was
not his patient. He does so out of respect for her tenacity and willingness to fight to survive. Even
though his peers tell him otherwise, he decides that she is worth saving. In The Use of Force, the doctor
shows grace when dealing with a child who has diphtheria and doesn’t use force or get angry until she
knocks his glasses off. The fact that he uses forces shows that he cares enough about this child’s life to
give her temporary discomfort in exchange for a lifetime of health. He even goes so far as to say that he
fell in love with the brat, which shows his compassion for his patients. This idea is extended in Williams’
poem The Poor, where he describes a school practitioner performing lice inspections. In the final lines of
the poem he writes, “they grew used to him, and so/ at last, /took him for their friend and advisor”,
meaning that families hated the school practitioner for being strict, but over time came to welcome his
presence and advice. It has the same underlying theme in The Use of Force; doctors do what’s best for a
patient in the long run, not in the present.

While it is important for a doctor to convey what needs to be done, it’s also important for a
doctor to listen to the patient’s needs and symptoms. In Mind and Body, Williams essentially just listens
to Ingrid, the woman he is treating. She has gone to many doctors but none of them have been able to
find what’s wrong with her. Many of the details she divulges aren’t relevant to the state of her health.
However, like a good doctor, Williams carefully listens to the whole story. By practicing good beside
manners, he keeps her at ease and accurately diagnoses her with mucous colitis, a mentally and
physically linked illness. Even after he goes through immense effort to help his patients, he still worries
about them. In Jean Beicke, Williams realizes that even if he saves these children medically, he cannot
save them fiscally during of the Great Depression.

Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist and author. As he treated various cases, he documented
them and wrote about them in his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. In the section Losses,
we look at the story The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, a story in which Dr. Sacks visits a patient
who (as the title states) mistakes his wife’s head for a hat. Sacks begins to study this man, only to realize
that this was one of the most interesting cases he had encountered. The man could function normally,
yet his entire life was systematic. Instead of telling the man he had an odd condition, Sacks believes it is
best to let him live the rest of this life prideful, without him feeling different. While he is missing a
normal function, it doesn’t deter Sacks from allowing the patient to live in his own world. This is also
seen in the short story The Lost Mariner. Jimmie was a patient who only remembered things from 30
years ago in intricate detail. Even when shown newer versions of his memories, Jimmie couldn’t let go of
his older, fonder memories. Sacks just leaves Jimmie alone to live in his own world. In the section
Excesses, Sacks discusses a 89 year old woman’s diagnosis simply based on her feeling that she was
experiencing a positive change of extreme wellness. She even goes so far as to diagnose herself with
Cupid’s Disease, or syphilis. Sacks doesn’t disregard her diagnosis but instead decides to check it.
Because Sacks listened to the patient, he was able to diagnose her accurately, although he was unable
to treat her in the long run.

In the section Transports, Sacks retells a short story called Reminiscence. Here, he recounts
visiting two patients, Mrs. O’M and Mrs. O’C, who had the same condition of hearing music in their
heads. They respond differently since the songs they hear have different meanings to them. For Mrs.
O’C they reminded her of being a little girl in Ireland. There’s a sense of nostalgia behind the music she
hears. For Mrs. O’M she doesn’t have the same of nostalgia, so the songs are bothersome to her.
Furthermore, she hears the same songs on repeat so the songs for Mrs. O’M become tiresome rather
quickly. Sacks treats both cases differently, since he concentrates on the individual and not the textbook
method of treating the condition.

In the section, The World of the Simple, Sacks describes how fulfilling a simple life can be in the
short story Rebecca. When Sacks first met Rebecca he thought she was clumsy with sensorimotor
impairments. Later he sees her after her grandmother passes away and notices she was a different
person in terms of her composure despite having a low IQ. After her grandmother died, she conducts
herself impressively. She tells Sacks, “It is winter. I feel dead. But I know the spring will come again.” The
dichotomy of her existence is what made Rebecca a surprising figure in the story. Sacks focuses on the
positives, not the limitations, in the people he works with. In this story, he describes Rebecca as gifted
even though most individuals around her think she is moronic.

. Even though there is the current analytical approach to medicine is less personal now, William
Carlos Williams and Oliver Sacks conduct their sick visits in a caring and personal manner. This is shown
across every single story that they have written. In conclusion, both Williams and Sacks present a superb
model for healthcare

Works Cited:

Underwood, E. Ashworth, et al. “History of Medicine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 25 Oct. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-medicine.