Final answer:
The removal of H.M.'s hippocampus in 1953 raised ethical questions about informed consent and the tradeoff between an individual's suffering and the benefits to medical research. H.M. suffered significant memory deficits as a result of the surgery but also provided invaluable insights into brain function and memory.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ethical implications of the surgery performed on Henry Molaison, often referred to as patient H.M., to remove his hippocampus are complex. At the time of H.M.'s surgery in 1953, medical ethics, particularly around informed consent and patient rights, were not as developed as they are today.
The removal of his hippocampus did succeed in controlling his severe seizures, but it resulted in profound memory deficits, which included anterograde amnesia and a partial retrograde amnesia. H.M.'s case provided critical insights into the function of the temporal lobes and the mechanisms underlying the consolidation of memory. Yet, it also posed questions regarding the extent of sacrifice an individual should make for medical advancement, especially if the full consequences of a procedure are not understood. This issue touches upon the broader debates in bioethics about the balance between patient autonomy and the benefits of medical research.