Ken Nelson

Henry Gustav Molaison

When I travel I will often read the obituaries in towns I’m not from. They provide fascinating little slices of history. I’m not traveling, but stumbled across one of the most interesting obituaries I’ve ever read – that of Henry Molaison – known only to the world as H.M.

In 1953, he underwent an experimental brain operation in Hartford to correct a seizure disorder, only to emerge from it fundamentally and irreparably changed. He developed a syndrome neurologists call profound amnesia. He had lost the ability to form new memories.

For the next 55 years, each time he met a friend, each time he ate a meal, each time he walked in the woods, it was as if for the first time.

And for those five decades, he was recognized as the most important patient in the history of brain science. As a participant in hundreds of studies, he helped scientists understand the biology of learning, memory and physical dexterity, as well as the fragile nature of human identity.

Amazingly, although every day was new he kept his basic personality and memories from before the surgery.

Read the whole thing.