Actual Persons With Similar Conditions
The real-life case of Daniel Tammet (b. 1979), an autistic British savant, bears a certain similitude to fictional Ireneo Funes: he had epileptic seizures that may have a part in his unusual talents; his memory for numbers is prodigious (on March 14, 2004 - 'pi day', Tammet correctly recited 22,514 digits of the irrational number), and finally, he has explained that he has synesthesia, which allows him to "see" numbers as shapes, some of which are more pleasant than others.
Solomon Shereshevskii, a stage memory-artist (mnemonist) with a condition known as "hypermnesia", is described by the Russian neuropsychologist Alexander Luria in his book, The Mind of a Mnemonist', which some speculate was the inspiration for Borges's story. Luria discusses explicitly some of the trade-offs — hinted at by Borges — that come with supernormal memory power. (Further Skywriting on this topic.) American neuropsychologist Oliver Sacks cites Luria's book as the inspiration for his own book, Awakenings, which is dedicated to Luria.
Jill Price, along with 10 others, can remember with great accuracy most days of their lives starting from the average age of 11. The scientific term for their unique condition is "hyperthymestic syndrome" now more recently known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). Price has stated that she, like Funes, views her memory as a curse.
Read more about this topic: Funes The Memorious
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