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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Epidemic Anosognosia. Run!

It's a familiar old story. You go to your familiar old doctor and get told....but I precede myself, we want background here. So I have appended a Normaphoto of the human brain. Its resemblance to a Normaphoto of a hornet's nest in our eaves is purely coincidental. One sees one's doctor and the following exchange ensues:

Doctor: I believe you are suffering from anosognosia.

Patient: Am NOT!

I should mention here, anosognosia is a malady first named by neurologist, Joseph Babinski, in 1914. It is a disability that renders its sufferers unaware of their disability. People with anosognosia do not  know they have it, because they cannot. Therefore, the consultation above is a conclusive test for the problem and the result is always positive.

The condition has little to do with age or collateral caducity. I use myself as example. Although not a young man, I have undertaken the study of a foreign language, Canadian, and am doing well. My mind is facile. Nor do I eschew alternative medicine: I am considering chiropractic to have my eyebrows realigned. Likewise, when troubled by The Jumps, I make an appointment to get that fixed too. But if I should suffer from something that prevents me knowing I suffer it, whom do I turn to?

In the study of human folly, I have witnessed whole populations enthralled by misconception and prejudice, huge factions marginalized, human beings wasted by arbitrary discrimination, useless wars undermining economies, greed devouring government by discussion...suffice it to say, when I reflect upon global and  domestic political psychology and the strange enthusiasms it generates, I wonder if anosognosia is not epidemic. Brain has indeed run through that run-on sentence again and again.

Still, brain buzzes and builds, year after year, up there under the eaves, functional, hopeful --under construction, tattered. But Norma's scan of it has left me somewhat wary of anosognosia. Poor brain, I find little else in my experience to explain the state of its remains.

10 comments:

  1. That explains it! I must have that dastardly affliction, too. That's the real reason for the constant noise in my ears. Docs call it tinnitis, but by golly, I believe the real culprits are bees... they've taken up residence in that hive in my head! Maybe I should try shooting some Raid into my ears?

    Congrats on learning Canadian, dude. Way to keep the ol' gray matter (er... hive) stimulated. Hmmm, should I start calling you hoser?

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  2. I always have my dictionary ready before I access your blog, but you did a perfectly fine job of describing anosognosia.

    And, as always, your observations are very apt. It is highly probable that anosognosia is a world-wide epidemic. We are all afflicted with it in one way or another.

    My brain, unfortunately, is a hornet's nest gone awry.

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  3. I am in awe at the industrious behaviour of your upper story. Busier than bees. And right on the money too.

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  4. Anyone who observes the way that congress operates would most defiitely come to the conclusion that every single one of them suffer from anosognosia...

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  5. A brain with hope will always know itself.

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  6. Self delusion is a house where most us dwell. I fear.

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  7. So...we all have anosognosia. Except maybe people in Sweden, and also maybe the Dalai Lama?

    Canadian seems to be a very difficult language to learn...I email Canada every day for work and even after twelve years, it's hard to overcome the language issue. All those pleases, and thank yous, and ehs...

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  8. Dear Geo.,
    now that is an interesting condition - should we call it a malady? (I think we can't, cause the patient doesn't suffer - though those around him perhaps). To see the bright sight: so many hornets in your nest - imagine, other people have only one bee in their bonnet! (looking up my dictionary to see if I got the idiom right - ha! I did! - I find the interesting hint to Bonnet-Myers theorem - must look that up - yes, it has to do with 'Riemann'sche Mannigfaltigkeit' - and mannigfaltig = manyfold the ailments of the world are.

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  9. Okay, the real question here is, "Will anosogonsia be a billable malaise under Obamacare?" (Before anyone my smart aleck comment to be a blast against Obamacare, all I can say about it is "at least he cares!")

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  10. Your brain is well-ordered from the looks of it. Most brains are confused looking with all of those weird folds, which might explain why most people's thoughts aren't very sweet or orderly.

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