BOOK REVIEW : A Tattoo on my Brain A Neurologist ’ s Personal Battle against Alzheimer ’ s Disease by Daniel Gibbs Cambridge University Press , 2021
reviewed by VASUDEVA IYER , MD
On July 22 each year we celebrate World Brain Day . I was expecting to see a pledge for accelerated research into Alzheimer ’ s disease this year ; however , the theme announced was rather vague : “ Brain Health for All .” I was quite disappointed ; I wanted it to be more focused and “ neuro-creative .” I decided to spend an hour reading / writing about Alzheimer ’ s disease ( AD ). I glanced at my pile of books “ yet to be read ” and one with the startling title A Tattoo on my Brain caught my attention . A student of mine , Dr . N , whom I ’ d trained in EEG interpretation years ago , had sent it to me as a gift for World Brain Day .
I had met Dr . N at the recent American Academy of Neurology meeting , and we together had listened to a lecture on AD by a renowned professor . He concluded the lecture praising Dr . Gibbs , a neurologist who was diagnosed with early stage of AD and who was bold enough to describe his personal experience in the form of a book with the title A Tattoo on my Brain . The professor strongly recommended that all physicians taking care of patients with AD read the book as it gave a unique perspective about AD merging the experience of a patient with that of a physician . When I received the book from Dr . N a few weeks later , I had the sneaky suspicion that perhaps he may have sensed that my memory is no more as sharp as it used to be .
The book A Tattoo on my Brain consists of 21 chapters totaling 237 pages . The introduction is well-written and covers the diagnostic challenges of AD and an overview of the scope of the problem and new developments in the field . I was particularly impressed with his insightful statement , “ At a societal level , science and statistics show a perfect storm already under way and growing around Alzheimer ’ s : incidence of disease escalating , a shortage of medical and care specialists , an overwhelming burden on primary care physicians who are underprepared and inadequately trained to provide effective care , and an unimaginable struggle for families and patients themselves .”
The chapter titled “ The Measures of Memory ” is fabulous and
24 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE