What Happened to Einstein's Brain After His Death?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the fate of Albert Einstein's brain after his death, including the circumstances surrounding its removal, storage, and subsequent investigations. Participants explore various accounts and anecdotes related to the handling of the brain, touching on themes of ethics, scientific inquiry, and personal motivations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recount that Thomas Harvey, the pathologist, claimed to have received permission for an autopsy but later faced controversy regarding the legality of removing Einstein's brain.
  • Others suggest that Harvey's motivations for keeping the brain may have been more personal than scientific, describing him as having treated it like a trophy.
  • There are conflicting accounts about how the brain was stored, with mentions of it being kept in tupperware containers and possibly housed in a wooden chest labeled 'Costa Cider' or a crate marked 'Live Maine Lobsters.'
  • A participant references a documentary about a Japanese researcher searching for Einstein's brain, which depicts the brain being found in a neuroscientist's home closet, raising questions about the preservation of the brain over time.
  • Another participant notes that the documentary includes a scene where a piece of the brain is sliced off for the researcher, highlighting the bizarre circumstances surrounding its handling.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the motivations behind the removal and storage of Einstein's brain, as well as the accuracy of various accounts regarding its condition and handling. No consensus is reached on these points.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the ethical implications of removing Einstein's brain without clear consent and the scientific validity of the investigations that followed.

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Cite: Read the rest of the article here Brain
The strange journey of Einstein's brain began on the evening of April 17, 1955, when the seventy-six-year-old physicist was admitted to Princeton Hospital complaining of chest pains. He died early the next morning of a burst aortic aneurysm. As in the cases of Carl Gauss and Walt Whitman, the issue of permission to perform an autopsy is clouded by subsequent testimony. Thomas Harvey, the pathologist on call that evening, would later say, "I just knew we had permission to do an autopsy, and I assumed that we were going to study the brain." As reporters soon discovered, Harvey did not have permission. Nor did he have a legal right to remove and keep the brain for himself. When the fact came to light a few days later, Harvey managed to solicit a reluctant and retroactive blessing from Einstein's son, Hans Albert, with the now-familiar stipulation that any investigation would be conducted solely in the interest of science, and that any results would be published in reputable scientific journals.
 
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I read Driving Mr. Albert a few months ago. In it, Harvey comes off an an exceptionally odd person, and despite his claims that he was keeping Einstein's brain for study, it becomes clear he was keeping it as a trophy. He was, like, 84 when he gave it to Princeton and for most of the time he had it he was just keeping it, not looking around for people to study it. He kept the sectioned brain in two tupperware containers in a closet and seems to have gotten his jollies showing it to people he liked, and refusing to show it to those he didn't like.
 
zoobyshoe said:
He kept the sectioned brain in two tupperware containers in a closet
From what I read somewhere a few years ago, I recall something along the lines that the two tins were housed in a wooden chest (labeled 'Costa Cider') that sat under the sink (or somesuch).
 
Gokul43201 said:
From what I read somewhere a few years ago, I recall something along the lines that the two tins were housed in a wooden chest (labeled 'Costa Cider') that sat under the sink (or somesuch).
Maybe he kept them in a crate marked Live Maine Lobsters that he stored under his bed.
 
Did anyone see the documentary about a Japanese researcher who was in search of the whereabouts of Einstein's brain? It was made in 1994. It ends with the Japanese professor finding the sectioned brain in the home closet of a neuroscientist, where the formaldehyde has already far-evaporated in a few bottles. The Japanese scientist asks if he can take a piece back home with him to Japan, after which the neuroscientist slices a piece off on a bread board :eek: warning: is a fake documentary ;)
http://www.encyclopedia-obscura.com/moviesebrain.html
 
Monique said:
It ends with the Japanese professor finding the sectioned brain in the home closet of a neuroscientist, where the formaldehyde has already far-evaporated in a few bottles.
The doc was a pathologist from the Princeton Hospital.
 

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