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[typing sound]

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>>[narrator] Henry Molaison 
is not a well man.

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A childhood fall has damaged 
his brain irreparably.

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>>[Henry] Gotcha.
>>Well? Well, what is it?

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>>[Henry] Uh, must do something.
>>Hmm.

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>>[Henry] Aah! 
>>Come on. Henry.

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>>[narrator] The accident has 
left him with severe epilepsy.

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>>Mike! Mike! Henry, come on, boy.
Don't do this.

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>>[narrator] By his late 20s, 
he's having over 10 fits a day.

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>>Henry! Henry! Henry! 
Mike! Mike, where are you?

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>>[narrator] He can't live alone, can't 
drive. The fits can take him at any time.

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>>Mike! Mike, where are you?

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>>[Dwayne Godwin] The normal electrical activity 
of the brain occurs in regular patterns like this.

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But during a seizure, abnormal rhythms 
are established that wash across the brain,

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using the brain's own 
communication lines.

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The net result is that the 
brain loses control of the body,

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and it can result in tonic-clonic 
seizures, short-term memory loss,

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and, in some circumstances, even death.

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>>[narrator] Dr. William Beecher Scoville 
is an authority on brain disorders.

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But Henry Molaison has him stumped.

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He's tried every known epileptic 
drug, but nothing works.

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>>[Scoville] Ah, Henry.

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>>[Michael Stevens] Brain science today 
is in its infancy, but in the 1950s,

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it had barely reached conception.
There was a rough idea of what areas

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of the brain were responsible 
for which processes,

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but the ways they interacted or 
worked together weren't really known.

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In fact, most of what was known 
was only known because of people

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who had survived brain injuries, and 
so everything new that was attempted

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was a step in the dark.

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>>[narrator] Scoville is a charismatic, 
high-octane risk taker.

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To help Molaison, he got 
a new and radical idea.

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>>[Henry] Story of my life, Doc.
>>[Scoville] I'd like to try something, Henry.

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Usually when a brain 
short-circuits like yours,

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we take out half a region 
called the hippocampus.

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Only your case is so severe, I'd 
like to take out the whole thing.

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Now, it's never been done before, 
but I've got a hunch it'll work.

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>>[Stevens] It's thought that some 
epileptic seizures may be caused

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by an excess of the neurotransmitter 
glutamate in the brain.

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Now, when there's too much glutamate, 
an excess of calcium is released,

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and inside the brain, 
that can be very dangerous.

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Now, the hippocampus 
generates glutamate,

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and so removing it should decrease calcium 
levels and decrease the frequency of seizures.

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>>[Henry] Uh-huh. I don't know, 
Doc. Sounds kind of risky.

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>>[Scoville] Life is risk, Henry.
And to be honest, with the life you have...

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>>[Henry] Aah! 
>>[Scoville] Bob!

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What have you got to lose?

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>>[Susan Lederer] Scoville was 
willing to perform this surgery

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because his patient was in desperate need.
He had very uncontrolled epilepsy.

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He had very little quality of life.

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Still, he was playing a little bit fast and loose 
because he didn't know what the outcome would be.

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>>[narrator] Despite his uncertainty, 
Henry agrees to the surgery.

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>>[Scoville] Cauterize.

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>>[narrator] Dr.Scoville burns 
out Henry's entire hippocampus.

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Time will tell if he 
is being bold...or reckless.

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>>[Stevens] In all new surgical 
procedures, there's an element of risk,

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but there's also a first time when it 
must be tried in a human patient.

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These days, we would review procedures like 
this through institutional review boards,

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but in Scoville's time, much more was 
left to the discretion of the surgeon.

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>>[narrator] After a few days, 
the signs are good.

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>>[Scoville] Good morning, Henry.
>>[Henry] Hey. Not a single fit, Doc.

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>>[Scoville] Tremendous.
Nothing for days now.

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Henry, this is Dr. Brenda Milner.
She'll be doing some tests with you today.

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>>[Henry] It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.
Oh, and you're working with the best, you know.

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Doc Scoville is an ace.
>>[Scoville] Enjoy your breakfast, Henry.

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>>[narrator] Henry's epilepsy seems to be cured.
>>Milner] So, what's the problem?

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>>[Scoville] Just wait.

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>>[Stevens] Dr. Scoville didn't know 
what the hippocampus really did.

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I mean, no one did.
The operation was pure trial and error.

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What he did know was that less 
hippocampus meant fewer seizures.

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>>[Scoville] Morning.
>>[Henry] Hey. Steady as a Chevy, Doc.

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>>[Milner] That's great.
>>[Henry] Hi, I'm Henry.

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Pleased to meet you, ma'am.
>>[Scoville] See what I mean?

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>>[narrator] Henry's operation has done 
more than affect his epilepsy.

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Henry's memories up to the 
operation are largely undamaged.

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>>[Henry] We went to Florida.
Mom and dad took turns driving.

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I had my head out the window, listening 
to the engine the whole way down.

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>>[Milner] Good. Now, what do 
you remember about yesterday?

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>>[Henry] Um...

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Now -- now I think about it, not a lot.

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>>[narrator] But he cannot
create new memories at all.

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>>[Milner] How about this morning?

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>>[Henry] No, I -- I don't remember.

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>>[Milner] Henry, can you tell me 
what you just had for lunch?

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>>[narrator] Henry Molaison is a tragic 
victim and a scientific miracle.

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Something has gone wrong with Henry Molaison's brain 
during radical surgery to treat his epilepsy.

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>>[Scoville] Henry, this 
is Dr. Brenda Milner.

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>>[Henry] It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

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It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

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It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

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It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

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>>[narrator] Henry's memory is broken.

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But his condition could provide unique 
insights into the workings of the human brain.

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>>[Stevens] We can experiment on 
the brains of mice all we want.

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But a mouse cannot tell us 
what it's thinking or feeling.

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So the uncomfortable truth is that Henry 
was a godsend to brain researchers.

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By looking at what he could or could not do, 
they could figure out how memory works.

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>>[Milner] Okay, Henry, I'd like 
you to remember the number 273.

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Can you do that? 
>>[Henry] Got it. Yeah. 273.

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>>[Milner] Right.
I'll be back in 15 minutes.

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Don't forget -- 273.
>>[Henry] Uh-huh.

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>>[narrator] The doctors are fascinated 
by what he can and can't recall.

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>>[Milner] And the number is? 
>>[Henry] 273.

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>>[Milner] Right. How did you remember it? 
>>[Henry] I just kept thinking about it.

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>>[Milner] That's wonderful.

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>>[Henry] I'm sorry.
Have we met? I'm Henry Molaison.

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>>[Milner] So, what can we say? 
Quarter an hour?

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>>[narrator] Henry's condition transforms 
our understanding of memory.

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Our immediate moment-to-moment impressions 
of the world are recorded in short-term memory.

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>>[Milner] One hour, it goes down to? 
>>[narrator] But short-term memories are fleeting.

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To remain in the brain, they must be 
transferred into long-term memory,

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filed away for future recall.

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>>[Stevens] We know, 
thanks to Henry now,

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that the hippocampus is crucial in the 
creation of new long-term memories.

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It takes memories of what's happening 
now and makes them into things

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that we can recall about 
last week, about last year.

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They're not stored 
in the hippocampus,

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but the hippocampus is very 
important in creating them.

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>>[narrator] Henry becomes the most 
famous patient in neuroscience,

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a man imprisoned in the present.

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>>[Milner] So, tell me what you 
remember about your last fit.

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>>[narrator] But for Dr. Scoville, 
life moves on.

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He, too, must learn to forget.

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>>[Lederer] Scoville's surgical 
procedure made him world-famous.

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But we know from some of his 
colleagues that he felt guilty

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about the destruction 
that he had created.

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There is a cost to going first.
It's a cost that someone has to bear.

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>>[narrator] Some people will 
work with Henry for over 40 years.

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>>[Milner] Good morning. I'm Dr. Milner.
>>[Henry] Good morning, ma'am.

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>>[narrator] And every morning,

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they will have to introduce themselves 
to him for the first time.

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>>[Henry] Wow. This looks real interesting.
I'm Henry, by the way. Delighted to meet you.

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Where is Doc Scoville? 
>>[Milner] Well, I'd like to work with you

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today if that's okay, Henry.
I'm gonna ask you to take a pencil.

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>>[Henry] Mm-hmm.

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>>[MIlner] And I just want you to draw 
around the star as best as you can, okay?

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>>[Henry] All right.
>>[Milner] And I'm gonna take some notes, all right?

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>>[Stevens] Tracing a line while
watching your hand in a mirror

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is totally counterintuitive. Nobody can 
come to that task and get it right away.

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What it takes is practice.

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>>[Milner] Hi. I'm Dr. Milner.

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>>[Henry] Good morning, ma'am.
>>[Milner] You want to take a seat over here?

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>>[narrator] Henry has no 
idea he's tried this before.

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>>[Henry] Hello. I'm Henry Molaison.
>>Hi.

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>>[Henry] Well, now, 
what have you got here?

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>>[narrator] His defective memory prevents him 
from remembering his many previous attempts.

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Yet each time, Henry's skill improves.

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It's as though his body 
remembers what his mind cannot.

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>>[Henry] Well, that was kind of easy.
[Milner laughs]

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>>[narrator] Henry reveals that our 
understanding of memory is hopelessly simplistic.

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>>[Stevens] There is not 
just one type of memory.

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There are at least two -- 
procedural and declarative.

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Declarative memories are the things 
that you remember remembering --

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the places you've been, things you've 
said to people, things they've said to you.

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>>[Henry] We went to Florida.

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>>[Stevens] But procedural memory 
allows us to accomplish tasks --

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physical ones, like driving 
a car or riding a bike.

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Now, you can drive in a car and 
have a conversation with somebody,

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and when you reach your destination, 
you will remember the conversation.

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That's declarative memory.
But you won't remember all

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of the thinking it took to operate the vehicle 
and successfully get to your destination,

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which is procedural memory.

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>>[Henry] Hello, I'm Henry.
>>[Milner] Hi, Henry. Take a seat.

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>>[narrator] Once he's learned a new skill, 
even years later, Henry never forgets it.

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>>[Henry] Well, now, what 
have you got here?

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>>[Godwin] You could say that Henry's 
bad luck was our good luck.

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Through Henry, we learned about things 
like declarative and procedural memory,

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and we learned their importance 
in the fight against diseases

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like Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

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If you'd ever met Henry, 
he wouldn't remember you,

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but we'll never forget Henry's 
contribution to science.

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>>[Henry] Gotcha.
>>[narrator] But every day,

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Henry wakes up pretty much the same 
27-year-old man who had radical surgery.

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>>[Henry] Hello, Dr. Scoville? 
Hey, Doc, you in there?

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>>[narrator] He remembers his 27th birthday...
>>[Henry] This place has really changed.

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>>[narrator] ...but not his 50th.
>>[Henry] How'd he do it so fast?

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>>[narrator] ...or even his 70th.
>>[Henry] So, what's this?

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>>[narrator] The truth has 
to be hidden from him.

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His 27 years of memories are 
trapped in an old man's body.

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>>[Henry] Dr. Scoville! Hey, Doc! 
>>[Milner] Henry, Henry, you shouldn't be in here.

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But it's -- no, no.
Come on.

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Don't worry.
Come on, Henry.

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Come on.
Come on.

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Now, listen, Henry, don't worry.
I promise tomorrow it'll all be fine, okay?