Man with a 7 Second Memory Still Plays the Piano but Doesn't Know How

Summary

This transcript follows Clive Wearing, a renowned conductor who suffers from one of the worst cases of amnesia in the world after a 1985 viral infection. Despite losing the ability to form new memories, retaining only a seven-second memory span, Clive can still play music and recalls certain details from his past. His wife Deborah plays a crucial role in his care. Clive's interactions with family, his confusion, and his surprising calmness despite his condition are explored, revealing the emotional toll on those around him and Clive's unique perspective on life.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Clive Wearing suffers from one of the worst cases of amnesia in the world, with a memory span of just seven seconds.
• 🎶 Despite his memory loss, Clive's ability to play music remains intact, showcasing the preserved musical memory.
• 🦠 Clive's amnesia was caused by a virus that attacked his brain in 1985, destroying crucial parts of his memory system.
• 👩‍❤️‍👨 The only person Clive recognizes consistently is his wife, Deborah, even though he can't recall most other details.
• ⌛ Clive has no distinction between day and night, with no dreams or thoughts in his mind — he describes it as being like death.
• 🏡 Clive is going home for the first time in 13 years, yet he has no recollection of ever being in Reading, where he now lives.
• 👶 Clive can still recall details from his childhood, such as phone numbers, even though recent memories are lost.
• 😢 Clive's sister, Adele, finds it difficult to connect with him as his personality and memory have changed significantly.
• 🎻 Clive's youngest son, Edmund, recalls their close bond before the illness, primarily revolving around Clive's work in music.
• ❤️ Deborah, Clive’s wife, has been his constant support for over 20 years, helping him navigate his life with amnesia despite the challenges.

Q & A

Who is Clive Wearing and what condition does he suffer from?

Clive Wearing is a renowned conductor who suffers from one of the worst cases of amnesia. He lost his memory after being struck down by a virus in 1985, which destroyed parts of his brain.

How does Clive Wearing's condition affect his ability to remember events?

Clive has a memory span of only seven seconds. After that, his mind goes blank, and he cannot form new memories or recall recent events.

Despite his severe memory loss, what ability has Clive retained?

Clive has retained his ability to play music, even though he cannot remember playing it afterward.

What is Clive’s perception of day and night, and how does he describe his consciousness?

Clive perceives no difference between day and night. He describes his state as a continuous blank, similar to death, with no dreams or thoughts.

How did Clive’s wife, Deborah, play a role in his life after his illness?

Deborah has been a central figure in Clive’s life after his illness, being the only person he initially recognized. She has taken care of him and maintained a strong connection despite his condition.

How does Clive's condition impact his relationship with his family, especially his son and sister?

Clive has a strained relationship with his family due to his condition. His son Edmund hasn’t seen him in 7 years, and his sister Adele finds it difficult to communicate with him. Clive even became aggressive towards Adele when he didn’t recognize her.

What details from his past can Clive still recall?

Remarkably, Clive can still remember some details from his childhood, such as numbers and memories from before he became ill.

How does Clive feel about his past life before his illness?

Clive expresses that he misses his old life, especially as a musician and being in love, though he cannot fully comprehend what he has lost.

What emotions does Clive experience in his current state?

Despite his severe amnesia, Clive is often calm, peaceful, and content. He retains a part of his personality and is able to analyze his condition, though he forgets soon after.

What challenges did Clive's family face due to his condition?

Clive's family faced emotional challenges, such as his inability to walk his daughter down the aisle or recognize his grandchildren. His wife Deborah, in particular, struggled with these lost moments.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Clive's Life Before and After Amnesia

Clive Wearing, a renowned conductor, suffered severe amnesia after a viral infection in 1985. Though his brain was severely damaged, his ability to play music remained unaffected. His memory resets every seven seconds, leaving him in a state of confusion. Despite this, he recognizes his wife Deborah, and their relationship remains strong. He retains certain childhood memories, especially numbers, despite his condition.

05:01

😔 Struggles with Aggression and Memory

Clive’s sister, Adele, recounts how his amnesia affected their relationship. During a visit, Clive became aggressive, unable to recognize her due to the age difference since his memories are fixed in the past. Adele finds it difficult to converse with Clive as his memory constantly resets, while her husband finds it easier to communicate with him by discussing unrelated topics.

10:06

🌍 Clive's Life in the Present

Despite his severe amnesia, Clive remains peaceful and content, unaware of his surroundings or the current time. His calm demeanor, even with no understanding of where he is, reflects a unique state of mind. Clive expresses simple desires like having a cigarette, while waiting for time to pass, unaware of his reality.

Keywords

💡Amnesia

Amnesia refers to the loss of memory, typically caused by brain damage or trauma. In this video, Clive Wearing's case is described as one of the worst in the world, as he is unable to retain new information for more than a few seconds. His amnesia severely affects his sense of time, identity, and recognition of people, except for his wife.

💡Virus

A virus is a microorganism that can cause illness in humans. In Clive's case, a virus attacked his brain in 1985, leading to extensive damage and his resulting amnesia. This medical condition was a sudden and life-changing event, robbing him of his memory but leaving his ability to play music intact.

💡Memory

Memory is the mental ability to store and recall information. For Clive, this function is severely impaired. He cannot form new memories and has only brief, fleeting awareness before his mind resets, leading to a constant feeling of being in the present moment without a past or future.

💡Music

Music is central to Clive's identity and remains one of the few abilities unaffected by his condition. Despite his amnesia, Clive can still conduct and play music flawlessly. This emphasizes the idea that certain deeply ingrained skills, like musical performance, may reside in parts of the brain unaffected by memory loss.

💡Recognition

Recognition is the ability to identify people, objects, or experiences that one has encountered before. In Clive's case, the only person he consistently recognizes is his wife, Deborah. This recognition forms one of the few constants in his otherwise fragmented and disoriented experience of reality.

💡Seven-second memory

Clive is described as having a seven-second memory, which means that his conscious awareness resets every few seconds. After this brief span, he forgets everything that has just happened, leaving him in a state of continuous rediscovery of his surroundings and interactions.

💡Deborah

Deborah is Clive’s wife, and she plays a vital role in his life as the only person he consistently recognizes. She has been a crucial source of emotional support and care for Clive, as highlighted in the video. Her presence provides him with a sense of stability in his otherwise unstable reality.

💡Childhood memory

Despite his severe memory loss, Clive retains some memories from his childhood. This phenomenon shows how long-term memories formed before his illness can sometimes remain intact, even though his ability to form new memories is almost completely absent.

💡Aggression

Aggression refers to hostile or violent behavior. Clive has displayed aggression, particularly during interactions with his family. This may stem from his frustration or confusion due to his inability to understand his situation, including when he is confronted with familiar people who appear different, such as his sister.

💡Calmness

Despite the severity of his condition, Clive is described as having a remarkable sense of calm and peace, considering that he lacks awareness of his circumstances, location, or time. This calmness contrasts with the turmoil that his amnesia could cause and suggests a unique adaptation to his condition.

Highlights

Clive Wearing has one of the worst cases of amnesia in the world, completely losing the ability to form new memories.

Despite severe memory loss, Clive's musical abilities, such as conducting and playing, remain unaffected.

Clive only has a seven-second memory span before his mind resets, leaving him constantly unaware of recent events.

Clive was struck down by a virus in 1985, which destroyed parts of his brain responsible for memory but left his musical talent intact.

Clive recognizes only his wife, Deborah, even after 20 years of living with amnesia.

Despite his condition, Clive can recall specific details from his childhood, such as phone numbers and memories predating his illness.

His amnesia has created deep emotional challenges for his family, especially his children, who feel the loss of the father they knew.

Clive's sister, Adele, shares a difficult relationship with him, as he often fails to recognize her and becomes aggressive.

Clive's sense of time is entirely disrupted, with no difference between day and night, equating his existence to being 'dead.'

Clive expresses occasional emotional responses, such as longing for his old life and experiences as a musician.

Despite his profound memory loss, Clive retains a significant portion of his original personality, displaying some cognitive awareness.

Clive's wife, Deborah, has been his primary caregiver and emotional support, shouldering the burden for over 20 years.

Clive's condition has affected important life events, such as not being able to walk his daughter down the aisle or recognize his grandchildren.

Clive remains largely unaware of where he is, the current time, or even the century in which he lives.

Despite his severe condition, Clive's demeanor is surprisingly calm, happy, and content, displaying resilience in the face of his memory loss.

Transcripts

Clive wearing has one of the worst cases

of amnesia in the world I know it's like

we did now they're not the same thing no

difference between dreams and no sense

at all of brain has been totally

inactive no dreams and no thoughts of

any kind whatever Clive was a renowned

conductor living in London when he was

struck down by a virus in 1985 parts of

his brain were completely destroyed

including his memory however his ability

to play music is unaffected do you feel

different when you play music I don't

always like to play with you they are

unconscious you played us some music

about two minutes ago not known to me I

never heard of nosey

Clive's case became known to millions

when a television documentary was made

about him

in 1986 alone and Confused in hospital

without his memory the only person he

recognized was his wife Deborah it's

been long can you just tell me I faked

consciousness for first time I just want

to find what they play how they've been

doing what's being wrong with me

20 years later clive only has a

seven-second memory before his mind goes

blank what has life been like for Clive

and his family

Debra is planning a momentous trip for

Clive best pub in the come if you could

go anywhere where would you like to go

yeah no I see yes yesterday home is

yesterday next Tuesday are we going I

live in Redding I see yeah do you think

you've ever been to writing yes I have

been yes I mean cause everything is busy

you could have gone when how it was

studying yeah I didn't know you'd ever

been there

never mention reading no it's not been

Justin's I have a moment of getting that

yeah not a very interesting place No can

you name a town in Berkshire no I can't

I can't no door do you know where I live

no guess I'm kinda kids with are no no

reading oh really yeah spelt wrong as

from a reading

clive is going home

for the first time in 13 years remember

the number plate un 9 for 1 year and 9

for one back of another car remember the

phone number when you forward she wants

it forth remarkably Clive can still

recall details from his childhood

numbers embedded in his memory before he

became ill there's another guest

expected for lunch Clive's youngest son

Edmund who has not seen his father for 7

years things that I used to do with my

father always revolved around his work

it was weird be either going to see

going to places such as the British

Museum for his research or we'd be going

to concert venues or recording venues we

would often end up in churches and he

could walk into a church or a cathedral

anywhere in Europe and read it like a

book

he had a vast amount of knowledge and

that has just been wiped out it's been a

difficult time

today clive sister Adele has come to see

him

and I used to take his children to see

him but he used to get pretty aggressive

if he was very angry you know there was

one occasion when I went to see him on

my own

and he he just when I said who I was he

attacked me almost you know grabbed hold

of me very aggressively and the staff

came in and sort of calmed it down but

he'd remembered me when I was younger he

just said no you know you're too old

like when how old do you think and he

went off to see when he was fifteen

years I went to the Merchant Navy yeah I

used to go and visit him and it's just

so difficult and and not easy to talk to

him at all my husband we've got no

connection with him found it much easier

he could talk about things that totally

irrelevant and quite happily carry on a

conversation with him but I always found

that extremely difficult thing to do do

you remember Adele sitting next to me

can you remember what she was wearing

no never seen

you're such human beings I've seen three

of you two men and one lady the first

piece people I've seen since Ivan no no

difference in day and night no thoughts

at all no dreams day and night that same

blanket precisely death is it very hard

no exactly the same as being dead which

is not difficult was it we did it's easy

you don't do anything at all I can't do

anything you're dead it's been the same

exactly yes I've never been conscious to

think that so I've never been bored or

upset no be anything same as death no

dreams even day and night the same when

you miss your old life you say yes I

miss my old life what do you miss as a

musician and in love you'll say things

like do you know what it's like and

that's really dangerous because if you

actually did I said yes so at once

because I was just saying yesterday that

was disastrous and then I said that

again scene why because he says you

don't know what it's like how do you

know because he's right isn't he yes

there's no way you're gonna know what

it's like got some fight in him

oh yeah yeah but that's the thing is

probably 3/4 of his personality's still

there functioning normally

he will analyse what's happened he said

well the doctors must be very interested

in this you know it's very unusual case

he worked it all out over and over again

because he doesn't really remember that

he worked it out an hour ago

Deborah's done more for dad than any

other single person I very much doubt

that I could have done that for him and

that's hot that's very hot I think I'd

have given up I would like to say when

it was I really can't remember it's too

hard I wanted him to walk me down the

aisle when I got married and he couldn't

I wanted him to know that I'd had his

grandchildren but he couldn't so he's

he's a lovely person

he's he's Clive now that's gone

considering he's still one of the most

amnesia people in the world

he's pretty peaceful considering he

doesn't know where he is or what century

it is oh well what time he got up that

morning or or that he's in a place where

he lives

considering all of that his state of

mind is extraordinarily calm happy

content and very much himself he's

himself if you could do anything now if

you had free choice what would you do

next I would Jim Thomas a cigarette then

of course waiting for time to allude and

disappear and her arrival