Where is Einstein's brain now?
Albert Einstein died at 1:15 am on April 18, 1955 at
Princeton Hospital in
New Jersey. Later that day, Princeton Hospital pathologist Dr. Thomas
Harvey performed an autopsy on Einstein and removed Einstein's brain.
Harvey cut the brain into 240 pieces. He was very protective of the brain
and kept it jars at his house. Over the years, Harvey gave several pieces
of the brain to different researchers including Dr. Marian Diamond (UC
Berkeley), Dr. Britt Anderson (University of Alabama) and Dr. Sandra
Witelson (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario). Harvey moved around the
country and he always brought the brain with him. Eventually, Harvey moved
back to New Jersey. In 1996, Harvey brought the remaining pieces of
Einstein's brain to Dr. Elliot Krauss, chief pathologist at Princeton
Hospital. (Reference: Abraham, C., Possessing Genius:
The Bizarre
Odyssey of Einstein's Brain, New York: St. Martin's Press,
2002)
Einstein did not object to the study of his brain. However, he did
not want any of the resulting findings publicized.
(Reference: Abraham, C., Possessing Genius: The Bizarre
Odyssey of Einstein's Brain, New York: St. Martin's Press,
2002)
clipped from: faculty.washington.edu