Q. What was H.M. like as a person and a patient? How well did he understand his condition?
A. Despite his devastating amnesia, H.M. was quiet, polite and congenial, greeting all strangers as friends. He loved to talk about his family and childhood vacations. He had a great sense of humor and would often say, “Knock on wood” while tapping the side of his head with his fist. He was altruistic. When asked how he felt about doing all of our tests and answering questions, he replied, “What they find out about me helps them to help other people.” He knew that he had epilepsy, that he had a brain operation, and that he had trouble remembering things. Sometimes when we asked him a question, and he didn’t know the answer, he would say, “I’m having an argument with myself.” This phrase caught on in my lab, and now, in many parts of the world, former Corkin Lab members have arguments with themselves and remember H.M.
Ria :)
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