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Oliver Wolf Sacks (born July 9 , 1933 , London ), is a United States -based English Neurologist , who has written popular books about his patients; the most famous of which is '' Awakenings '', which was adapted into a Film starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro . Sacks considers that his literary style follows the tradition of 19th-century "clinical anecdotes", a literary-style that included informal case histories, following the writings of Alexander Luria .1 Sacks is a childhood friend of Jonathan Miller 2 and a cousin of Robert Aumann and the late Abba Eban .3 In 2007,4 Columbia University appointed Sacks as "its first Columbia artist, a newly created designation." BIOGRAPHY The fourth and youngest child of a prosperous ''. Sacks earned his medical degrees from , and then down to San Francisco , where he fell in with the poet and motorcycle enthusiast, Thom Gunn . Sacks became a Resident in Neurology at UCLA . After converting his British qualifications to American recognition, Sacks moved to New York where he has lived since 1965 , and taken twice weekly Therapy sessions since 1966 . Sacks was formerly a clinical professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College Of Medicine , adjunct professor of neurology at the New York University School of Medicine, where he worked for over 43 years. On September 1, 2007, he became professor of clinical neurology and clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College Of Physicians And Surgeons , leading that department while serving as Columbia University's first "artist"—a new position the university hopes will help bridge the gap between disciplines such as medicine, law, and economics. He remains a consultant neurologist to the Little Sisters Of The Poor , and maintains a practice in New York City . Sacks describes his cases with little clinical detail, concentrating on the experiences of the patient (which was in one case himself). The patients he describes are often able to adapt to their situation in different ways despite the fact that their neurological conditions are usually considered incurable. His most famous book, '' Awakenings '', upon which the Movie Of The Same Name is based, describes his experiences using the new drug L-Dopa on patients who were victims of the 1920s sleeping sickness ( Encephalitis Lethargica ) epidemic. It was also the subject of the first film made in the British television series '' Discovery ''. In his other books, he describes cases of '', November 26 2002 Sacks's writings have been translated into 21 languages, including '', March 10 2006 BOOKS
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