Henry Gustav Molaison, Speech Example

Henry Gustav Molaison was a normal young man until he lost his memory in 1953. Molaison’s amnesia was the by-product of a brain surgery gone wrong. Molaison had a bicycle accident at the age of 7 that had triggered the development of epilepsy. For many years, he suffered partial seizures. However, just after he turned sixteen, he suffered a series of tonic-clonic seizures, which made him hard to live his daily life.

So he decided to have a surgery from a neurosurgeon named William Beecher Scoville.The surgery damaged his entire entorhinal cortex, where memories are formed and stored. This affected him as he could only live one day at a time, without prior experiences from his past.

He lived the rest of his life in the present without a past in his memory. For 55 years, everything he did was a new experience to him. During his life, he helped scientists understand the brain by participating in hundreds of studies. He could not form memories until his demise in 2008. He donated his brain to MIT for development of neuroscience.

I believe that Gustav Molaison’s contribution to science cannot be understated. His case helped to understand the effect of impact on the human brain. It revealed that the brain was a delicate organ that reacts differently to different forms of impact or force. Without Molaison’s case, the field of neuroscience would not have been developed at that give point in time.  His case contributed to the development of theories that helped understand the differences between brain function and memory. This has saved numerous lives.

In conclusion, I believe that Gustav Molaison is a tribute to all patients suffering from un-known or no-cure (or hard to cure) diseases. These patients play an important role in society all should show respect, love and kindness to them. Thank you.