I received an email from a friend last week with the subject line “Anosognosia.” Wouldn’t that be a wonderful word for the National Spelling Bee? The text began, “This is a big word which few can define and fewer use.” Define and use? Most of us would be happy just to be able to pronounce it!

I have taught reading for about two decades, both at the elementary/middle school age and to adults. I have taught some of the finest to rely on “context clues” to determine the meaning of an unknown word. I read the remainder of the text, which said, “However, the email has very interesting data if you take a few minutes to read it. You’ll enjoy the test for Alzheimer’s near the end.”

You might know you’re getting old when your friends send you emails that have to do with Alzheimer’s. I suppose I’m supposed to deduce that the word “anosognosia” might be a synonym for Alzheimer’s. The text told me, “Enjoy and share with friends.”

So, Dear Readers, you become the guinea pigs in this instance. I hope you do enjoy this Reader’s Digest-type journey into word knowledge.

The next line of the email said, “Still kicking! Found the C – 6 and N !

Next, information was shared to put the world’s population into perspective. The population of planet Earth is around 7.8 billion. This is a hard number to grasp, especially if you, like me, get frustrated if there are a lot of fellow shoppers when you go to the supermarket, restaurant or WalMart. If I had Alzheimer’s, I’m sure the concept would be even more difficult to master.

So the author put the number in perspective by “. . . condens[ing] 7.8 billion into 100 persons, then into various percentage statistics . . .” If there were only 100 people on Earth:

5 would live in North America;
49 would live in the countryside;
75 would have mobile phones;
30 would have internet access;
83 could read;
33 would be Christians;
66 would die between the ages of 15-64;
8 would live to be 65 or older;
7 would have their own home, eat full meals, drink clean water, have a mobile phone, be able to surf the internet, and have gone to college.

Wonderful, I thought. Define anosognosia.

Next, the email instructed, “If you think you are suffering memory loss, read on.” French Professor Bruno Dubois, Director of the Institute of Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease at a hospital in Paris was quoted, “If anyone is aware of their memory problems, they do not have Alzheimer’s.”

[Question: How many people did it say live to be 65 or older?]
Back to the analysis of 100. Lots of people “60 years and older” are concerned with a lack of memory. I’m not quite there yet, and still I’m concerned. According to the email, “The information is always in the brain, it is the ‘processor’ that is lacking.”

Finally, my struggle with context clues is over, for the email next plainly stated [stated versus implied main idea] that anosognosia is temporary forgetfulness.

Half of people 60 and older have some symptoms that are due to age rather than disease. The most common cases are: forgetting the name of a person; going to a room in the house and not remembering why we were going there; a blank memory for a movie title or actor, an actress; a waste of time searching where we left our glasses or keys.

Further comfort comes from the article: After 60 years most people have such a difficulty, which indicates that it is not a disease but rather a characteristic due to the passage of years. Many people are concerned about these oversights, hence the importance of the following statements:

1. Those who are conscious of being forgetful have no serious problem of memory.
2. Those who suffer from a memory illness or Alzheimer’s are not aware of what is happening.

Professor Dubois is again quoted, “The more we complain about memory loss, the less likely we are to suffer from memory sickness.”

Hopefully, Dear Reader, you remember the reference above to C, 6 and N. The article shared three neurological tests. The reader is instructed, “Only use your eyes.”

1- Find the C in the table below!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you found the C, then find the 6 in the table below.

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999969999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

3- Now find the N in the table below. Attention, it's a little more
difficult!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Good news—if you passed these three tests, the email assures that your brain is in perfect shape. Dear Reader, I hope you are and continue to be one of the seven percent. (Forgot already, huh? Go back and re-read.)

Answer to question of the week #16
What did our parents do to kill boredom before the internet? I asked my 26 brothers and sisters and they didn’t know either!

Question of the week # 17
What is the proper term for the act of a pharmacist suing a government official?
SUDAFED: Brought litigation against a government official.

More Bits of Wisdom from the Email World

Not in jail, not in a mental hospital, not in a grave—I’d say I’m having a good day.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a new replacement for it.
If you can't think of a word, say, I forgot the English word for it. That way people will think you're bilingual instead of an idiot.
I may not be that funny or athletic or good looking or smart or talented. I forgot where I was going with this.
I love being almost 59. I learn something new every day and forget five other things.
“By the time you’re 80 years old you’ve learned everything. You only must remember it.”
― George Burns