Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets

This deeply personal journey through the history of brain research and lobotomies focuses on Patient H.M., who suffered from seizures and was given a lobotomy that rather than cure him caused permanent amnesia, leading to him being the most studied man in brain research. Dittrich also examines the lives of several neurosurgeons and medical researchers, considers their motivations and personal histories as part of their desire to map the human mind, and the legal and ethical considerations of the research. Suitable for a class novel, as part of Lit Circles, or an independent reading choice for senior students to examine the ethics of medical research, human experimentation, and human rights.