This paper presents a method for decoding high minimal distance ($d_{min}$) short codes, termed Cortex codes. These codes are systematic block codes of rate 1/2 and can have higher$d_{min}$ than turbo codes. Despite this characteristic, these codes have been impossible to decode with good performance because, to reach high $d_{min}$, several encoding stages are connected through interleavers. This generates a large number of hidden variables and increases the complexity of the scheduling and initialization. However, the structure of the encoder is well suited for analog decoding. A proof-of-concept Cortex decoder for the (8, 4, 4) Hamming code is implemented in subthreshold 0.25-${mu}m$ CMOS. It outperforms an equivalent LDPC-like decoder by 1 dB at BER=$10^{-5}$ and is 44 percent smaller and consumes 28 percent less energy per decoded bit.