There is no time like the present... for this man.

johnson1010 · Sat Jul 10, 2010 4:07 pm

Nor is there anything but the present.

20 years ago this man suffered the onset of amnesia. His memory does not last longer than 30 seconds. Every time he sees his wife, the only person he can recognize, he feels as though she has been gone for years.

Sad.

http://www.wimp.com/weirdguy/

Genocide · Sat Jul 10, 2010 4:51 pm

Wow.... that sucks (obviously). It's amazing how he could remember how to play the piano so well, something that probably took a long time to do, but he couldn't remember anything else (other than his wife).

johnson1010 · Sun Jul 11, 2010 11:15 am

most amazing to me is that he remembers language.

How can you forget what your house looks like, what your kids look like, or other simple recognition abilities, but apparently still have a full grasp of language, which i would think would be far more complex than simply having a spark of recognition when you see a photo of your child as they were the day before the amnesia.

Genocide · Sun Jul 11, 2010 12:03 pm

^ Very true.

The sense of taste thing tripped me out too. I didn't fully get what he didn't remember... the difference between sour and sweet? Or the words to describe it? Which would tie into language, right?

bookwormservice · Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:17 pm

It all depends on what areas of the brain are damaged. It must not have been the area where language is stored. This clip reminds me of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks. If you like the 30sec man you would love the stories from that book.

Forum rules

There is no time like the present... for this man. Tweet This Topic

Who is online

Chat Room Always Open!