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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science

Taking a walk down memory lane

Psychology concept illustration - brain filled with cogs, examined by magnifying glass
‘When Elizabeth II was on the throne, I was asked by my practice nurse: “How many children does the queen have?”’ Photograph: Andrey Kuzmin/Alamy

Re memory tests (Letters, 1 July), my mother was taken to hospital some years ago after an infection overwhelmed her. She was confused and stressed. A doctor wanted to check her mental capacity and gave her paper and a pencil, asking that she write down a sentence with a subject, an object and a verb.

I was trying to find the words to say that this was unfair, given her health. A lot of people might not even know what was meant by a subject and an object. But my mother wrote: “I will not do this”, giving us a withering look.
Ross Bradshaw
Nottingham

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