Normally, Paul, I would agree with you. (Historians say stuff like this all the time to people who think of the past as nothing but a series of mistakes.) In this particular case, however, the article says, "HM had a form of epilepsy that can’t be treated by any kind of surgery – and his doctors should have known this, even back in 1953." And later, "It appears that the answer lies in a dubious theory that William B. Scoville, the neurosurgeon who proposed the operation, held. Scoville believed that cutting certain brain pathways could ‘raise the seizure threshold’ in the brain, and hence treat any kind of epilepsy, whether or not there was a focus."
Best, Chris ....... Christopher D Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 [email protected] http://www.yorku.ca/christo > On Mar 6, 2015, at 7:16 AM, Paul C Bernhardt <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > It is easy to look back at medical and scientific thinking of a previous > generation and wave our fingers with air of superiority and a "tsk-tsk”. > > Maybe they were doing the best they could with the tools and understanding of > that era. > > Paul C Bernhardt > Associate Professor of Psychology > Frostburg State University > pcbernhardt☞frostburg.edu > > > > > >> On Mar 6, 2015, at 12:19 AM, Mike Palij <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> New research suggests that the brain damage caused HM to lose >> his memory was a "medical mistake" driven by the surgeon's >> incorrect beliefs about brain structure and function. One popular >> media account of the research article is available here: >> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2015/03/05/neurosciences-famous-amnesiac-hm-victim-of-medical-error/#.VPk0TY47xNt >> >> I am having some difficulty accessing the original research article >> so, here's the reference: >> Mauguière, F., & Corkin, S. (2015). HM never again! An analysis >> of HM's epilepsy and treatment. Revue Neurologique. >> >> and here's the article on the publisher's website behind >> a paywall: >> http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0035378715000260 >> >> Just might change the story about HM a little bit. >> >> -Mike Palij >> New York University >> [email protected] >> >> >> --- >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=1989792.4335dcd8aae84aca9a8bb2e89f646286&n=T&l=tips&o=42641 >> or send a blank email to >> leave-42641-1989792.4335dcd8aae84aca9a8bb2e89f646...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62bd92&n=T&l=tips&o=42649 > > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > > or send a blank email to > leave-42649-430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62b...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > > > > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=42650 or send a blank email to leave-42650-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
