The movie "Awakenings" released in 1990 and starring Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams and Julie Kavner, is the true story about a child unable to speak and move for thirty years. "Awakenings" is about a physician who just starts his medical career as a neurologist. The main character, Dr. Sayer, begins his experience at the Bainbridge Hospital in New York, where most of the patients are survivors of the Encephalitis Lethargica epidemic of the 1920's. This movie emphasizes the importance of physician and patient relationships and health communication in medical facilities.
             According to the expert in the field Judy Pearson and Paul Nelson, health communication is defined as "a process of understanding and sharing meaning" (as cited in Du Pre, 2010, p.6). Dr. Sayer discovers new diagnoses for his patients, who he believes to have been misdiagnosed. Dr. Sayer plans to treat them with a drug called "L-dopa"(Parkes, Lasker& Marshall, 1990), which is designed for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. Fortunately, one patient called Leonard Lowe, was the first to receive the L-dopa and see successful results. Two elements are prevalent throughout the movie; the excellent representation of medical ethics which values the existence of the human being, and the doctor and patient relationship. This paper will analyze how the conditions of victims of the epidemic of encephalitis were reduced to a substantial Parkinson State. The readers will see how the use of one of the patients to test new a drug called Levo-dopa helps to revive the brain of other patients from their perilous state.
             Awake for a Short Period and The Effects of Levo-Dopa on Patients
             The beginning of the movie takes place in the twenties. The picture captures the life of Leonard (Anthony J. Nici), a smart child unable to finish school because he develops Parkinson's disease at an early age. The next scene shows Dr. Sayer (Robin Will...