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1. Summarize the progression of Leonard’s symptoms from when he was a child to adulthood' Leonard’s prognosis slowly gets worse and worse. As a child, Leonard is capable of reading and writing. As he gets older, Leonard’s condition begins to deteriorate. Eventually he develops tremors that impede his ability to sit still and write. Not long after, Leonard’s tremors get so strong and persistent that he completely loses the power to move and speak independently. 2. Describe Dr. Malcolm Sayer’s personality. Evaluate his social skill' Dr. Malcolm Sayer has a very quirky personality. Although he is both smart and seemingly altruistic, he is flawed when it comes to social interactions. One example is during the guest lecture when Sayer randomly raises his hand to ask a question. When he is ignored, he follows the speaker into the bathroom and holds a conversation them. These are clearly not normal social interactions. Sayer is also bad at explaining himself in layman’s terms. When attempting to explain L-Dopa, Sayer used a bunch of complicated scientific terms that the families did not understand. One positive aspect of Sayer’s personality is that he is determined to help his patients. Since he is in a home for chronically ill people, he is motivated to help them in some sort. Sayer is so motivated that he risks his career to change the dose of L-Dopa given to a patient. 3. Identify the behaviors exhibited by the patients that lead Dr. Sayer to question their diagnoses' The behavior that interested Sayer is the sporadic actions of the patients. Sayer hypothesized that the patients possessed some form of awareness of the world around them. This would mean there is hope for them because there might be a chance to bring them back to reality. It was previously thought that nothing could be done. One example of this awareness is demonstrated by Lucy when she walks only on patterned floor and stops when the pattern ends. 4. Provide a full description of the symptoms of encephalitis lethargica' Encephalitis lethargica is a disease in which a person experiences double vision, delayed mental and physical responses, fever, and lethargy. In some extreme cases the patient may fall into a coma. Currently, the cause of encephalitis lethargica is unknown. In the mid 1920s (when Leonard fell ill) there was an outbreak. A majority of the drugs used to treat this are actually against Parkinson’s disease as well. 5. Describe the hospital environment. Identify 2 positive and 2 negative aspects in terms of the care given to the patients' One positive aspect of the care is that the patients had individual attention given to them. Some negatives are that they were left unattended in the halls and the nurses were reluctant to help them. In one scene, the nurses sigh when they have to go help a patient. 6. Summarize Dr. Sayer’s theory about what is really wrong with the patients' After attending a guest lecture regarding L-Dopa and Parkinson’s disease, Sayer believes that this drug can also help his patients. Sayer thinks that eventually the tremors for his patients got so bad that the brain was, in a sense, short circuited. Unable to process the constant signal to twitch, it shut down and the patient was left in a catatonic state. 7. Examine the ethical concerns regarding the relationship between Leonard and Sayer' The biggest ethical concern in the relationship is that Sayer is considering Leonard to be his test subject and will try everything possible to help Leonard get out of his catatonic state. This leads to dangerous risks such as changing the dosage of L-Dopa. Luckily, after Leonard wakes up, Sayer manages to maintain a clear mind. After Leonard gets aggravated about going outside for a walk, he asks Sayer if he voted for or against him. Sayer had enough sense to vote against Leonard because he knew that it would be too dangerous to let him out with unknown side effects. 8. Analyze the relationship between Paula and Leonard' The relationship between Paula and Leonard demonstrates mutualism. Leonard like Paula and enjoys spending time with her. He feels like she his first friend since he has awoken. Paula gains hope from the relationship. Since Paula’s father is also comatose, she wonders if he can even hear her. Leonard comforts her and says that her father knows she is there and that everything will be ok. This makes Paula feel better knowing that since Leonard recovered that there is hope for her father. 9. Explain Mrs. Loew’s reaction to Leonard’s reaction to the drug, L-Dopa' Leonard’s mother is initially very happy with the results. After having a catatonic son for 30 years, she is overjoyed with the opportunity to interact with his again. Her attitude slowly diminishes as he spends less and less time with her. Even though this is nothing to do with the drug, she is sad that they cannot bond. Once Leonard turns aggressive and starts arguing and yelling, Mrs. Loew decides that the medication is causing this reaction in her son and she demands that he be taken off of it. 10. Analyze the relationship between nature and nurture throughout the film. Use 3 specific examples to illustrate your position' The biggest example of nature vs nurture is about Leonard and his tremors and tics. While he is on L-Dopa, all of his involuntary movements stop. Once he is off the medicine, however, they resume. The tremors stop again while he is talking to Paula. This is an example of nature (medicine) and nurture (Paula). Another example of nature vs nurture is regarding Leonard’s reaction to not being allowed to go outside. His aggression could have been caused either by the side effects of the drug or just his desire to go out. The final example is why they got the disease in the first place. It could either be by natural causes or by misdiagnosis and treatment. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. "Encephalitis Lethargica Information Page." National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Web. 15 Dec. 2011. .