In 1985 a man in London lost the ability to hold on to his own life. His name was Clive Wearing. After an illness, his memory lasted somewhere between 7 and 30 seconds. Then it was gone, and he met each moment as though he had just woken from nothing. He did not know what he had eaten, who had just spoken to him, or that he had a past. Yet one thing survived. Every time his wife Deborah walked into the room, he knew her, and he greeted her with joy. Doctors could explain why he could not remember a sentence. They could not easily explain why he never lost her. This story follows what the virus took, what it left behind, and what that showed scientists about how memory works.
Clive Wearing: A Life in Seven-Second Chunks
Clive Wearing's memory lasted 7 to 30 seconds after a 1985 virus, yet he greeted his wife Deborah with joy every time.
Chapter 1
Seven Seconds
0:53
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused Clive Wearing's amnesia?
In March 1985 he caught herpes simplex encephalitis, caused by the same virus that usually produces cold sores. It inflamed his brain and almost entirely destroyed his hippocampus. That left him unable to form new memories.
Why could Clive Wearing still play the piano?
Playing is procedural memory, which is stored in different brain regions from personal experiences. The virus destroyed his ability to form episodic memories but spared his motor skills. He could sight-read and conduct while having no memory of his training.
What did Clive Wearing's case show scientists?
His case gave fundamental proof that the hippocampus is essential for forming new episodic memories. It also showed that episodic and procedural memory are separate systems. Researchers have studied him for nearly 40 years.
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