William Beecher Scoville
Encyclopedia
William Beecher Scoville (January 13, 1906 - February 25, 1984) was a neurosurgeon at Hartford Hospital
. He performed surgery on Henry Gustav Molaison in 1953 to relieve epilepsy
that led to damage of Molaison's hippocampus
and left him with memory disorder
.
Hartford Hospital
Hartford Hospital is an acute care hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. The hospital was formed in 1854 after the State of Connecticut granted a charter for the Formation of Hartford Hospital following a boiler explosion and resulting fire at the Fales and Grey Car Works...
. He performed surgery on Henry Gustav Molaison in 1953 to relieve epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
that led to damage of Molaison's hippocampus
Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a major component of the brains of humans and other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in...
and left him with memory disorder
Memory disorder
Memory can be defined as an organism's ability to encode, retain, and recall information. Disorders of memory can range from mild to severe, yet are all a result of damage to neuroanatomical structures; either in part or in full. This damage hinders the storage, retention and recollection of memories...
.