Parkinson’s Disease

Michael J Fox and Parkinsons: Symptoms and Struggles
Philosophy

Michael J Fox and Parkinson’s Disease: His Symptoms and Struggles

04/01/2025 Bruce Strom 0

Where does Parkinson’s disease fall on the spectrum of neurological diseases? On one extreme, dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, degrades the patient’s cognition, including memory and reasoning. Their motor functions decline only as their overall health declines. On the other extreme, ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease degrades the patient’s motor functions, often starting with the legs, then the arms, then they have trouble breathing. […]

Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
Dementia and Alzheimers Disease

Do We Have Free Will? Phineas Gage and Case Studies From the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

12/06/2023 Bruce Strom 2

The concept that someone could be so demented that they are no longer responsible for their behavior is hard for people to accept. After all, the concept that we are all responsible for our actions, that we always act out of free will, is a bedrock principle in our legal and even religious institutions. But unfortunately, as psychologists know, there are many mentally ill who cannot control their actions.
One early and famous case history is that of Phineas Gage, who is perhaps the most famous and influential schmuck in human history. I have listened to many psychology lectures in Wondrium, the Teaching Company, and university lectures on Youtube that retell the story of Phineas Gage, which I have heard a dozen times. When my daughter in medical school told me that she was starting her psychology section, I told her that she would hear the remarkable story of Phineas Gage, which she did a few days later. […]