100 Brains Disappear From University Of Texas

The brains came from a lunatic asylum and one of the specimens is believed to have belonged to clock tower sniper Charles Whitman. The brains have been preserved in formaldehyde

A collection of about 100 brains, all preserved in jars, has vanished without trace from a university.

The brains were being kept in the Animal Resources Centre in a basement at the University of Texas.

They had come from Austin State Hospital - formerly known as the State Lunatic Asylum - around 28 years ago and were supposed to stay at the university on a temporary basis only.

One of the missing brains is believed to have belonged to clock tower sniper Charles Whitman.

Whitman's 1966 rampage at the University of Texas killed 16 people, including his mother and wife.

He subsequently barricaded himself on the observation deck of the University of Texas Tower where he was killed by police.

"We think somebody may have taken the brains, but we don't know at all for sure," co-curator psychology Professor Tim Schallert told the Austin American-Statesman.

His colleague and co-curator, psychology professor Lawrence Cormack, said: "It's entirely possible word got around among undergraduates and people started swiping them for living rooms or Halloween pranks.

"They are no longer in the basement."

The university says it will investigate "the circumstances surrounding this collection since it came here nearly 30 years ago", adding it is "committed to treating the brain specimens with respect".

The remaining brain specimens on campus are used "as a teaching tool and carefully curated by faculty".

The university's agreement with the hospital meant it had to remove any data that might identify the person from whom the brain came.

However, Prof Schallert said, Whitman's brain was likely to have been part of the collection.

"It would make sense it would be in this group. We can't find that brain," he said.

Another 100 brains still at the school have been moved and are being scanned with high-resolution resonance imaging equipment, Prof Cormack said.

"These MRI images will be both useful teaching and research tools. It keeps the brains intact," he explained.


Culled from Sky News