The Forgetting

A literary and scientific examination of Alzheimer's disease and the race to find a cure. The book is an account of the scientists who are working to cure the disease and to understand the links between biology and consciousness. It is punctuated with personal accounts of Alzheimer sufferers.

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A literary and scientific examination of Alzheimer's disease and the race to find a cure. In 1906, Alois Alzheimer dissected and examined the cerebral cortex of Auguste D's brain and became the first scientist in medical history to link a specific brain pathology to behavioural changes. The disease named after him, turns otherwise active and healthy people into "living ghosts". It is a rare condition for those in their 40s and 50s but 10 per cent of the 65-plus population suffers from it and 50 per cent of the 85-plus age group. It is longevity's revenge and as the baby boom generation drifts into its elderly years the number of Alzheimer's victims is expected to quadruple, making it the fastest-growing disease in developed countries. Shenk's book is an account of the scientists who are working to cure the disease and to understand the links between biology and consciousness. The book is punctuated with personal accounts of famous Alzheimer sufferers - Ronald Reagan, Willem de Kooning and Jonathan Swift - as well as the stories of many less famous victims.
Shenk's history of Alzheimer's is grounded by the fundamental belief that memory forms the basis of our selves, our souls, and the meaning in our lives.