1st Edition

Neurocinema When Film Meets Neurology

By Eelco F. M. Wijdicks Copyright 2015
    314 Pages 258 Color Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Film directors recognize that neurologic disease impacts mind and motility and often use it in a plot or defining scene. It should be informative and educational to deconstruct neurologic representation in film. Neurocinema: When Film Meets Neurology is a collection of film essays that summarize the portrayal of major neurologic syndromes and clinical signs in cinema. Many films approach the reality of disease quite closely, and as a result, are deeply moving and memorable. Equally important, these films say as much about consequences as they say about the disorder. Therefore, the main themes include sudden confrontation with a major neurologic illness, disability from chronic neurologic disease, and failure to lead a normal life.

    More than 100 fiction films and documentaries are discussed in this completely original and definitive work on how film meets neurology. The book includes nearly 50 neurology topics, explains them, and places them in a broader context. The book is accessible for all health care workers and general readership.

    Eelco Wijdicks is a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is the chair of the Division of Critical Care Neurology and an attending neurointensivist at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. He has written numerous books and scientific articles on the clinical practice of neurocritical care. He is enamored with cinema and neurologic representation in fiction and documentary films. Dr. Wijdicks has written film reviews for Neurology Today and THE LANCET Neurology. He is the author of a major publication on the portrayal of coma in film and its potential effect on the viewing public.

    Medicine in Film
    Portrayal of Hospitals
    Portrayal of Doctors
    Portrayal of Diseases
    Conclusion

    The Neurologist in Film
    The Founder of Neurology—Charcot —in Film
    Modern Neurologists in Film
    Conclusion

    Neurologic Disorders in Film
    Introducing Main Themes
    Coma in Film
    Traumatic Brain Injury in Film
    Stroke in Film
    Locked-In Syndrome in Film
    Brain Tumor in Film
    Meningitis in Film
    Encephalitis Lethargica in Film
    Spinal Cord Injury in Film
    Poliomyelitis in Film
    Multiple Sclerosis in Film
    Motor Neuron Disease in Film
    Leprosy in Film
    Amnesia in Film
    Headache in Film
    Sleep Disorders in Film
    Seizures in Film
    Cerebral Palsy in Film
    Autism Spectrum Disorders in Film
    Tourette’s Syndrome in Film
    Dementia in Film
    Parkinson’s Disease in Film
    Neurogenetics in Film

    Neuroethics in Film
    Introducing Main Themes
    Physician-Assisted Suicide in Film
    Self-Determination in Film
    Withdrawal of Support from Brain Injury in Film
    Family Conflicts on Level of Care in Film
    Brain Death and Organ Donation in Film
    Institutionalizing in Film
    Experimentation in Film
    Compassion Failure in Film

    Neurologic Disorders in Documentary Film
    Introduction of Main Themes
    Dementia in Documentary Film
    Huntington’s Disease in Documentary Film
    Multiple Sclerosis in Documentary
    Motor Neuron Disease in Documentary Film
    Aphasia after Stroke in Documentary Film
    Poliomyelitis in Documentary Film
    Traumatic Brain Injury in Film
    Rehabilitation in Film

    Neurofollies in Film
    Introducing Main Themes
    Enter the Mind
    Psychic after Coma
    Total Amnesia
    Enhancing Brain Function
    Intellectual Disability to Genius
    Superintelligence
    Violent Seizures
    Computer-Assisted Neuronal Activity
    Mind Control
    Brain Preservation
    A Final Word

    Epilogue: The Neurology of Cinema
    Neurocinema and Actors
    The Book and What It Means
    How To Watch and Read a Neuro Film
    Conclusion

    Appendix: Neurofilmography

    Biography

    Eelco F. M. Wijdicks

    "…should be required reading for all neurologists."
    —Howard S. Kirshner, MD, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology

    "This volume is written with passion, and the author’s real affection for the cinema seeps from every page. This book is not just for film buffs … We should all watch and learn."
    —Sallie Baxendale, UCL Institute of Neurology in The Lancet Neurology