In 1955, pathologist Thomas Harvey performed an autopsy on one of the most revered scientists of the era: Albert Einstein, the German-born theoretical physicist whose general theory of relativity made him a household name.
In the course of the autopsy, Harvey decided to preserve Einstein’s brain for future study. For years, he kept slides containing microscopically thin sections of Einstein’s brain matter in his personal archives. Now, these slides are on display in an exhibit at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring.
"What can we learn from a Brain" features “maps” and photographs prepared by Harvey before, during and after the sectioning process. The combination of these archival materials and the slides may offer insights into what made Einstein’s brain so unusual, according to the museum.
The exhibit includes an iPad application called “Einstein Brain Atlas,” developed using more than 350 images of the brain, that is shown on a 60-inch interactive display.
The exhibit also displays examples of trauma and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer whose effects on the brain can be seen by the unaided eye. And it has the brain of Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President James Garfield in 1881 and was considered insane.
If brains aren’t your thing, the April edition of the museum’s "Organ of MOUTH CLUB" is intestines; a special event will be held on April 19.
The museum is located at 2500 Linden Lane in Silver Spring.