# Who here has seen a human brain...with their own eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700 "2003-08-26T06:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/81 "2011-11-07T02:00:10Z")
> [@MrO](#): > > Saw one once while working as an ambulance attendant. It wasn’t alive, but had been until a few minutes before. It was all smushed. Ditto ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/82 "2011-11-07T03:07:39Z")
Wow, kinda scary, I never thought of it in aggregate before, but I’ve seen quite a few. Several in jars at the old medical museum that used to be behind Walter Reed. Bits of one belonging to a motorcyclist who hit a jersey wall on Rt. 66. (No helmet + concrete = bad.) I’m pretty sure there was one in the display case at the “Think Tank” in the Smithsonian Zoo last Sunday. The remains of a particularly nasty fight on a street corner in SE DC. An open head on the other side of a surgical suite window - guessing the lumps under all that blood were brain tissue. I suppose the meninges may still have been intact. . . Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/83 "2011-11-07T03:28:26Z")
Seen and touched (with glove) back before my senior year in high school. I participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in DC and one of the things we got to do was visit George Washington School of Medicine and see several dead bodies. Fun! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/84 "2011-11-07T04:00:52Z")
I’m not sure if I have. Back in the day, I had a girlfriend who was a medical student, and she tool me down into the gross anatomy lab. Handed me all sorts of body parts to hold. Can’t remember if a brain was included, but that would be the time. ---
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/85 "2011-11-07T06:53:43Z")
Alive and dead. Alive ones were dying, and most likely all passed away. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/86 "2011-11-07T20:34:21Z")
I have seen a dead one, sometime in college. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/87 "2011-11-08T00:54:52Z")
Several at museums. One was at the Herb Garrett by London Bridge and one was at the Grant Museum in Holborn, but I’m sure there have been others. ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/88 "2011-11-08T01:33:15Z")
Not in this thtread. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/89 "2011-11-08T01:38:07Z")
I haven’t seen a living brain (except on video), but I’ve seen many preserved brains either in jars or plastinated. I’ve held a plastinated brain that was taken from a man with advanced syphilis and that’s enough to turn you off of even phone sex- it had large discolored parts and a couple of places with holes big enough you could put your finger in if you so desired (which I didn’t). There was a story as to why the guy didn’t receive treatment, but I’ve forgotten it. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/90 "2011-11-08T17:38:56Z")
Live brains, soon-to-be-dead brains, very-dead-and-pickled brains… I’ve seen 'em all. As has every other pathologist out there. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/91 "2011-11-08T17:45:15Z")
Half of one. I was a first responder to a murder-suicide. Dude fatally strangled his soon-to-be ex-wife, then gave himself a 12 gauge haircut. The right hemisphere was laying on his left shoulder, and the left was spread all over the living room. That was how I knew my jaded gland was well developed, because my reaction to the sight was, “Well, he’s dead.” Then I went home, watched the rest of my Stargate episode, and had a good night’s sleep. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/92 "2011-11-08T17:50:26Z")
Geez. Suckered into a zombie thread. **Brrrrraaaaiiiiiiinnnnssss!..** ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/93 "2011-11-08T18:16:12Z")
Two times, neither among the living. Both were autopsies I attended during my reporter days. One was fresh. The other… not so fresh. We are much prettier on the outside than we are on the inside, as certain others in the know in this thread undoubtedly agree with. I’m just happy that A: I stayed conscious and on my feet, and B: hung onto my lunch. Much face would have been lost amongst the local constabulary had I not. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/94 "2011-11-08T18:25:49Z")
Yes, I’ve seen the [Wilder Brain Collection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilder_Brain_Collection) at Cornell. The brain of a serial killer, Edward Rulloff, is there and he has a very large brain. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/95 "2011-11-08T20:50:28Z")
No. I win. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/96 "2011-11-08T21:07:18Z")
This is truly one awesome zombie revival! Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/97 "2011-11-16T09:47:15Z")
Nobody is carrying on… ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/98 "2011-11-16T21:41:43Z")
I’ve seen lots of brains. First there was the cadaver from my general anatomy class. Then I did a rotation in the medical examiner’s office my last year of medical school and saw multiple autopsies a day for several weeks. Now I work in the ED and we get occasional patients with visible brain matter. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/99 "2011-11-16T23:54:47Z")
Besides those I’ve seen in college and such, I’ve seen two. The first was that of a student who was deliberately run over (gang related) as he crossed the street after school, my first week of student teaching. I was the only adult in the whole crowd for a few minutes and it still scares me and hurts to think of it. The second was three years later at the scene of a car wreck. The driver wasn’t wearing the lap belt on her automatic seat restraint. She drifted off the road and rolled when the car hit the soft sand. The seat belt sliced her head off and it was just sitting there when I came along shortly after. The border patrol agent who’d been almost on the scene when it happened hadn’t even had time to do more than report the accident, so I got to see more than I ever want to see again. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700/100 "2011-11-18T06:01:38Z")
I saw and felt one at the Body Worlds exhibition. They let you feel a brain and a liver. The brain felt plasticky, the liver rubbery. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-seen-a-human-brain-with-their-own-eyes/197700.md?page=4)