Identity

G and I went to the Wellcome Collection in London today to see the Identity exhibition which is well worth a visit. We also enjoyed perusing the Blackwells bookshop there. I think we bought six books between us!
This photo is of two diaries of a man named Clive Wearing. It was the main reason I went to the exhibition. I have taught Psychology for ten years now and Clive Wearing is a case study we look at when discussing memory. Clive has the most severe case of amnesia known of in the world. His memory lasts about seven seconds. He has patchy memory of his past. For example, he doesn't know that he can play the piano but he was so good that if you give him sheet music he can sight read and play it. Unfortunately the photos I took don't clearly show what he has written. However, he has a continous feeling of awakening which he writes down in his diary. He notes down the time and writes 'I am awake for the first time' or 'I am conscious for the first time'. Then, a few minutes later, he has forgotten that he has written it, experiences the feeling again and writes it down again. He remembers his wife Deborah and greets her with rapture every time she comes into the room, even if she has only just gone out.
Patients with amnesia tell us a lot about memory and it was fantastic to really see his diary for myself. It helped me remember that he is a real person trapped in a neverending present. I feel for his wife and family. There are some videos of Clive here.

The past is never there when you try to go back. It exists, but only in memory. To pretend otherwise is to invite a mess. Chris Cobbs