Tourette Syndrome: Physical Manifestation
by Dylan Rasmussen
According to the Tourette Association of America, Tourette syndrome is a Tic Disorder characterized by the presence of “at least two motor tics and at least one phonic/vocal tic in some combination over the course of more than a year” (“About Tourette” 2017).Motor tics are simply movements. They can vary in complexity from a series of blinks, to a slow, elaborate set of steps or twirls. Dr. Bennet possesses several such motor ticks, as was the first thing Sacks noticed when they met. Stepping off the plane, he was greeted by a “half lunge, half tic, a gesture of welcome idiosyncratically Tourettized” (Sacks 80). Further time with Dr. Bennet revealed more complicated movements, a majority of them based upon symmetric spatial orientation and the touching of objects. Specifically, Sacks recalls that “driving back from the ranch was a stimulating, at times terrifying, experience.” Dr. Bennet’s hands repeatedly left the steering wheel to smooth his moustache or jab at the windshield. At times he even jerked the wheel, sending the car swerving down the road, to restore symmetry within his field of vision (100-101).
Phonic or vocal tics, on the other hand, are described by the Tourette Association of America as the production of sound. Like motor tics, they can range in complexity from simple sniffing or throat clearing to unrecognizable words or phrases that consistently occur out of context. A commonly portrayed type of vocal tic, coprolalia, includes “swearing, ethnic slurs, or other socially unacceptable words or phrases,” yet it only occurs in 10-15% of cases (“About Tourette” 2017). Dr. Bennet also possesses several phonic tics. Sacks is first to note several “high pitched vocalizations . . . that sounded like ‘Hi, Patty,’ ‘Hi, there,’ and, on a couple of occasions, ‘Hideous!’ (80-81) Embracing the uniqueness of his phonic tics, his sons “are constantly on the lookout for ‘odd’ names—names that sound odd to an English-speaking ear, many of them foreign . . . and when they find a ‘juicy’ name, they add it to a list they keep.” Many such names possess an alluring combination of sounds to which Dr. Bennett is drawn towards. The names may be incorporated into tics for several months, only to disappear one day and leave others in their places (Sacks 88).
While many people may find it unnerving that a surgeon could, at any moment, succumb to fits of incontrollable movement, Dr. Bennett’s tics never disrupt his surgery. Indeed, Sacks notices this stark contrast as Bennett becomes immersed in a complex procedure, and describes how he, to begin, “took the knife, made a bold, clean incision—there was no hint of any ticcing or distraction—and moved straightaway into the rhythm of the operation” (95). Throughout the entire procedure of scrubbing up and the surgery itself he finds a certain flow–a cohesive, fluid sequence of actions–that enable him to perform complex operations with startling precision. As demonstrated in this instance, Tourette syndrome was far from an inhibitor of Dr. Bennett’s ability.
Nevertheless, a clinic seeking to hire him would likely be beyond apprehensive to hear of a Touretter-surgeon. Without considering Sack’s account or records of Dr. Bennett’s successful career, he may be immediately disqualified from a position in surgery, or indeed any other requiring fine motor movement. However, through both Sacks’s account and descriptions of Dr. Bennett’s highly skilled practice, it is clear barriers like this are not only unnecessary, but unfairly limiting to individuals with Tourette syndrome.
