I would strongly question the idea that he has "no structural abnormality". It would be very interesting to see exactly what type of imaging they performed on him. Bear in mind, an abnormality in the hippocampus or other memory related structures could be sub-mm in size and result in a significant impairment. If, for example, he did not have an MRI with diffusion weighted imaging with a sufficiently high B value (gra…
After simple dental surgery, William lost his ability to form new memories
131–137 of 137 posts
Re: After simple dental surgery, William lost his ability to form new memories
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's sort of a weak version of a P-zombie. Presumably the lack of conscious awareness would still be observable using a sufficiently detailed brain scan if not anything else, as opposed to a "real" P-zombie where the presence of consciousness is assumed to be completely epiphenomenal.
It's not that we're not aware, it's essentially that we may only be aware - aware of our thoughts once our subconscious thinks them, aware of our actions and their consequences once they're made. The trick, seemingly is manipulating the focus of awareness to convince the subconscious decision-making apparatus to make different decisions, even though all we really have control of is our awareness.
Re: After simple dental surgery, William lost his ability to form new memories
#133Is it necessarily the anaesthesia or a hemorrhage? Have they considered removing the root canal? Sometimes removing the materials from a root canal has improved a patient's health significantly. Certainly one could understand why the dental industry would avoid the meme "root canal = bad!", but in this case the patient has little to lose, his future being lost already.
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.ht...
Re: After simple dental surgery, William lost his ability to form new memories
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think pointing out the deaths caused by improper care are one of the few tools we have to correct the egregious errors that go uncorrected all the time in health care. For instance a family friend was told she had uterine cancer and was all set to start her doctor's protocol. But at the last minute wanted a second opinion from MD Anderson, the best cancer hospital in the world. After their team looked at her doctor…
What consequence should he face? Doctors are still people and can absolutely make stupid mistakes just like the rest of us. Any serious diagnosis should always lead to getting a second (or even third!) opinion.
Re: After simple dental surgery, William lost his ability to form new memories
#135Is it necessarily the anaesthesia or a hemorrhage? Have they considered removing the root canal? Sometimes removing the materials from a root canal has improved a patient's health significantly. Certainly one could understand why the dental industry would avoid the meme "root canal = bad!", but in this case the patient has little to lose, his future being lost already.
Claims that dental fillings are toxic, and that removing them will provide various health benefits, are a somewhat common medical scam. There is absolutely no evidence supporting these claims. http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.ht...
Furthermore, root canals require different training and are (usually) done by endodontists. Dentists usually handle the more mundane and more tested procedure of dental fillings.
My point is, root canals are much more invasive and have their own problems(not associated with dental fillings).