How Albert Einstein's Brain Was Stolen By Pathologist

More than 100 years ago on 25 November 1915, the physicist Albert Einstein introduced his theory of relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Germany. To commemorate his overwhelming contribution to science, museums and universities worldwide will celebrate the life of Albert Einstein as the most well-known scientist in the world.

However, the death of this great scientist has its own unique story behind it and it was not shared by most media out there. It all happened after 8 hours after his death on 18 April 1955.

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A pathologist from Princeton Hospital was responsible for the postmortem investigation of Albert Einstein. That man was Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey. While he was performing the surgery, he also did the unexpected in which he stole the brain of the late Albert Einstein.

Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey

The director of the Albert Einstein Archive from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Hanoch Gutfreund stated that it was a very gruesome story and might just be the biggest scandal ever done which is against what Albert Einstein's family ever wanted.

Albert Einsteins happen to be the founder of the Hebrew University and also one of the Governor's board members as well as the chairman of the Academic Committee of that very university. Einstein has also donated all his paperwork, documents, and personal research to the university.

Gutfreund happens to be one of the best experts in the world in handling Einstein's legacy. Regarding the thief that took Einstein's brain, Dr. Harvey, did it not because he was obsessed with Einstein's achievements or even to keep it as the most precious piece of history.

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But it was rather that he will be able to research Einstein's brain and understand how a person with a genius brain like Einstein is very different from others out there. But it seems that Gutdreund did not accept the excuse that was given by Dr. Harvey.

Gutfreund also added that the human brain will always be different from others and there is no one out there that is identical. For many decades, Dr. Harvey who got his medical license stripped off has kept the brain in several jars, cool boxes, and containers.

A heavy metal group from Britain, Attic of Love has created a song based on the incident called Stealing Einstein's Brain. Despite Dr. Harvey's research was not a complete success, in 2013 several scientists proved that Albert Einstein's brain is pretty different than other people out there.

The study that was conducted found that the relation between the left hemisphere and right side of Einstein's brain is not revealing and has a stronger connection between these two parts. Einstein has a brain that resembles those of a musician or juggler.

The main question is what really happens to Einstein's brain? This question has led a young American writer from the Esquire and GQ magazine, Michael Paterniti to find the answer. It was until the late 1990s that he finally traced Dr. Harvey's residency in New Jersey.

Paterniti believed that it was time for the retired pathologist to return back the physicist's brain which is more than 120 years old to its rightful owner in California which is Evelyn Einstein the granddaughter of Albert Einstein.

Einstein's brain cut into smaller pieces

Later on. Paterniti together with Dr. Harvey got in a car with the container that is filled with pieces of Einstein's brain heading to California to see Evelyn. Paterniti considered the journey to be the most bizarre one that he has ever experienced.

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Dr. Harvey then passed away in 2007 when he was 94 years old. Many historians hoped to see Albert Einstein's brain much closer. Now Einstein's brain which has been cut into smaller pieces is put under microscopes and has become a part of the display in Mutter Muzeum in Philadelphia.

Gutfreund from the University of Hebrew, he believed that he did not need to travel far to appreciate what Albert Einstein has done. He felt that his popularity will never fade and will become a part of history until this day. If we were to look at it now his popularity has grown even more.

Gutfreund who had just published a book on Einstein's popular relativity theory called The Road to Relativity is now busy traveling around the world to promote his book to commemorate the 100th year since the theory was introduced by Albert Einstein.

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