ABSTRACT
We all tend to complain about our memories. Despite the elegance of the human memory system it is not infallible, and we have to learn to live with that fallibility. It seems to be socially much more acceptable to complain of a poor memory, and much more acceptable to blame a social lapse on ‘a terrible memory’, than to attribute it to stupidity or insensitivity. But how much do we know about our own memories? Obviously we need to remember our memory lapses in order to know just how bad our memories are. One of the most amnesic patients I have ever tested was a lady suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome, memory loss following chronic alcoholism. The test involved presenting her with lists of words; after each list she would comment with surprise on her inability to recall the words, saying: ‘I pride myself on my memory!’ She appeared to have forgotten just how bad her memory was.
