prosopagnosia

ブラッド・ピットが米誌「エスクワイア」のインタビューに答えて，人の顔が覚えられない「相貌失認」という脳障害による失認の一種にかかっているのかもしれないと告白しました。聞き慣れない病名ですが，医学用語ではprosopagnosiaというそうです。prosop-は以前，大学院にきていたアテネ大学の留学生からfaceに相当すると教えてもらったことがあります（ "Latin, from Greek prosōpon 'face' + agnōsia 'ignorance" -- OED）。face blidnessの方がもちろん一般的なのでしょう。そういえば以前，月９ドラマで小栗旬が演じていた主人公もこの病気にかかっているという設定だったことを思い出しました。（UG）

Pitt told Esquire that he has such a hard time remembering the faces of those he meets, he thinks he might suffer from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, though he has not been tested or diagnosed with the disorder. We're not sure whether the actor was being facetious or not, but he said even having a "real conversation" doesn't help.

"So many people hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them," Pitt told the magazine. "I took one year where I just said, This year, I'm just going to cop to it and say to people, 'OK, where did we meet?' But it just got worse. People were more offended. ...You get this thing, like, 'You're being egotistical. You're being conceited.' But it's a mystery to me, man. I can't grasp a face, and yet I come from such a design/aesthetic point of view. I am going to get it tested."

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/23/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/brad-pitt-esquire-face-blindness