Review of: Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich (Random House), August 2016
Patient H.M. - real name Henry Gustav Molaison (1926-2008) - is probably the most famous neurological case study in history. The outlines of his story are familiar to every neuroscience student: H.M. was an epileptic man who underwent a radical surgery intended to cure his disorder in 1953. A surgeon removed his medial temporal lobes on both sides of his brain, including brain structures called the hippocampi. After the surgery, H.M. had 'anterograde amnesia' - he couldn't form any new long term memories. He would forget people, events and places within minutes. This led scientists to conclude that the hippocampus is essential for memory. So much for the brief sketch. But who was Henry Molaison, and why did he have the drastic surgery that he did? How did he feel about becoming a guinea pig for science? Was he ...
