Awakenings
I liked the movie Awakenings. It is one of those movies that feels good and makes you realize that you should live your life to the most everyday. Robert Deniro’s character Leonard has no boundaries besides the physical ailment that he has. Although he is examined for many years by doctors as a vegetable with no real feelings, he really is a bright and courageous man. Robin Williams plays Dr. Malcolm Sayer who thinks that Leonard and the other patients are able to think and comprehend. He says “What I believe is these people are alive inside.”
After learning about the drug L’Dopa he formulates a hypothesis. He determines that the medications effects might be able to bring the patients out of their vegetable state. The Independent variable in the experiment was the drug L’Dopa. He figured that once he found the right amount of it that it would reach the desired effects. The dependent variable was the encephalitis in the patients. He started the procedure on just one subject, Leonard. He tests the drug on Leonard and a little while later Leonard is up and walking around as if he had no illness to speak of.
The problem in the experiment arose when some ethical concerns came up. Leonard starts to rebel against the doctors office and wants to leave and be a free person, the doctors committee look at Leonard as if he is still in a crippled state. After the patients are “awakened” they feel as if nothing else is wrong with them. So when they wonder why they are still being held in the hospital they can’t find a reason. That in turn causes them to feel trapped. Another issue is having the patients cope with the realization that they have missed out on years of their lives. They feel as if overnight the aged 30+ years and they can’t go back. While the medicine did bring them out of their state, shortly after they started going back to their vegetable states until everybody was back to where they started. So the experiment can be called a temporary success but it did
After learning about the drug L’Dopa he formulates a hypothesis. He determines that the medications effects might be able to bring the patients out of their vegetable state. The Independent variable in the experiment was the drug L’Dopa. He figured that once he found the right amount of it that it would reach the desired effects. The dependent variable was the encephalitis in the patients. He started the procedure on just one subject, Leonard. He tests the drug on Leonard and a little while later Leonard is up and walking around as if he had no illness to speak of.
The problem in the experiment arose when some ethical concerns came up. Leonard starts to rebel against the doctors office and wants to leave and be a free person, the doctors committee look at Leonard as if he is still in a crippled state. After the patients are “awakened” they feel as if nothing else is wrong with them. So when they wonder why they are still being held in the hospital they can’t find a reason. That in turn causes them to feel trapped. Another issue is having the patients cope with the realization that they have missed out on years of their lives. They feel as if overnight the aged 30+ years and they can’t go back. While the medicine did bring them out of their state, shortly after they started going back to their vegetable states until everybody was back to where they started. So the experiment can be called a temporary success but it did