02: The Lost Mariner

Imagine for a moment, that you woke up one day without the ability to create any new memories. Imagine you were stuck in a world of limbo knowing perfectly what had happened yesterday while waiting for a tomorrow that would never come, all without the faintest hint of this condition. The story of the lost mariner entails the implausible and yet very existent story of a man stuck in this indeterminate state, a man by the name Jimmie G. Jimmie was a 49-year-old man healthy-handsome man, who had spent sometime as a mariner in the navy in his youth, and was delivered to Dr. Sacks in 1975. He was described as “very intelligent,” a charismatic and genial fellow who left Dr. Sacks heartbroken by his debilitating condition. Dr. Sacks wrote of Jimmie G. as being “isolated in a single moment of being, with a moat or lacuna of forgetting all round him… He is man without a past (or future), stuck in a constantly changing, meaningless moment.”

While Jimmie was slightly aware of his forgetfulness, there was no logical way of explaining to him the severity of his condition. For instance, he had believed he was 19 years old and when he was shown a mirror he was shocked and terrified to see an old man staring at him. Soon after the reality check, given enough time, he would completely forget the entire mirror incident. His symptoms of amnesia were some of the most peculiar Dr. Sacks had ever seen and after speaking with Jimmies brother (discovering that Jimmie had once had a drinking problem) he had conformed his diagnosis of Korsakoff’s syndrome.

Korsakoff’s syndrome caused by a severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1) and is most commonly developed through alcohol abuse/misuse resulting in the deterioration of the small, but essential, mammillary bodies of the brain. These small structures of the limbic system, located dorsal to the hypothalamus on the ventral portion of the brain, are involved in the formation of new memories (episodic memory) and when damaged produce symptoms similar to Jimmie’s. Unfortunately for Jimmie there really was no cure or treatment to reverse his disease. Atrophy of brain tissue cannot be undone, and Dr. Sacks was well aware that helping Jimmie live with his disease would take measures beyond neurology, psychology, or any other forms of medicine. Fortunately for Jimmie, Dr. Sacks (along with help from sisters at the adult home) was able to help him find meaning and purpose in his life.

While retrograde amnesia is relatively pretty common, Kosrakoff’s syndrome is pretty rare even in individuals who drink heavily. As for this specific case involving the lost mariner, it is extremely rare to see a Korsakoff’s patient experience retrograde amnesia to a specific time and then cease to progress. Jimmie will always be isolated in a 1945 state of mind; unable to break free from his bondage, and incapable of seeing the shackles holding him stuck.