Psychology express
Clive Wearing
The man with the 30 second memory
Clive suffers from anterograde amnesia meaning he cant create new memories as well as retrograde amnesia signifying he has lost many of his memories. His memories from his life before 1985 are very few. He knows that he has children and loves his wife and thats all he remembers. Before this awful tragedy took place Clive was a musicologist, conductor, tenor, and keyboardist.
How it all started ...
It started 30 years ago when Clive contracted a herpes virus that attacks the nervous system. It effects caused him to lack the ability to make new memories furthermore he lost his past memories too. His memory lasts between 7 and 30 seconds causing him to believe that he has just woken up from a coma
Further information
According from reports from BBC every time he sees his wife, he greets her with rapture. This is because he believes he hasn't seen her for years even though she just left for a moment. further more he forgets small things like the food he eats by the time it goes to his mouth he has already forgotten but there is good news because his muscle memory wasn't damaged he can still play the piano perfectly. To know more his wife Deborah has written a book called " Forever today" on the experience of her life with her husband Clive Wearing.