Awakenings (1973, rev. ed. 1990; ISBN 0-375-70405-1) is a non-fiction book by Oliver Sacks that tells of his experiences in 1969 using the then-new drug L-DOPA on patients of the 1920s sleeping sickness encephalitis lethargica. It was also the subject of a 1990 film of the same name starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. ... Oliver Wolf Sacks (born July 9, 1933, London) is a neurologist who has written popular books about his patients. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... // Therapeutic use L-DOPA is used to replace dopamine lost in Parkinsons disease because dopamine itself cannot cross the blood-brain barrierwhere its precursor can. ... The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Encephalitis lethargica is an atypical form of encephalitis. ... Awakenings is a 1990 film based on Oliver Sacks memoir, Awakenings, which tells the story of a doctor who in 1969 discovers beneficial effects of the then-new drug L-Dopa on patients who are catatonic after surviving the 1917-1928 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. ... Robert De Niro at the Berlin International Film Festival, 1998 Robert De Niro, Jr. ... Robin Williams performing in Iraq. ...