Possessing Genius: The True Account of the Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein's Brain - Softcover

Abraham, Carolyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312303041 ISBN 13: 9780312303044

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2003

Synopsis

Winner of the Canadian Science Writer's Award

The story begins in April 1955, when Thomas Stolz Harvey, chief pathologist at Princeton Hospital, found himself in charge of dissecting the cadaver of the greatest scientist of his age, perhaps of any age. He seized the opportunity to do something "noble." Using an electric saw, Harvey sliced through the skull and gingerly removed the organ that would both define and haunt the rest of his life. Harvey struck a controversial deal with Einstein's family to keep the brain, swearing to safeguard it from souvenir hunters and publicity seekers, and to make it available only for serious scientific inquiry. Not a neuroscientist himself, he became the unlikely custodian of this object of intense curiosity and speculation, and the self-styled bulwark against the relentless power of Einstein's growing celebrity.

Bridging the post-war era and the new millennium, Possessing Genius is the first comprehensive account of the circuitous path the brain took with Harvey during the decades it remained in his possession. Harvey permitted Einstein's gray matter to be sliced, diced, probed, prodded, and weighed by those hoping to solve the enigma and locate the source of genius itself. The brain was more than a subject of scientific investigation, it was a kind of holy relic; the history of its adventures since 1955 reflects the vicissitudes and vanities underpinning what we believe makes us human. Abraham has gathered together all of the fascinating details and documents of the brain's saga--including previously unpublished correspondence between Harvey and Otto Nathan, the executor of Einstein's estate—and from them woven a story that is both deeply engrossing and highly illuminating.

About this title

About the Author

Carolyn Abraham is the medical reporter for The Globe and Mail in Toronto. The winner of two national awards from the Canadian Newspaper Association, she won the Hollobon Science in Society Award for her articles on the business of genetics. Possessing Genius won the Canadian Science Writer's Award. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

Review

"An engrossing tale, full of descriptions of sometimes gruesome medical procedures and colorful accounts of diverse personalities." --The Washington Times

"If Michael Paterniti's Driving Mr. Albert whetted the appetite, Possessing Genius provides a satisfying feast, exploring the mystery of Thomas Harvey's behavior, revealing the motives and roles of others in the strange saga, and illuminating changes in the field of brain research in the past half century." --Kirkus Reviews

"With clarity, insight, and thoroughness, Abraham tactfully sets the record straight regarding the people and events surrounding the notorious removal of Albert Einstein's brain after his 1955 autopsy and its history over the next forty years." --Library Journal (starred review)

"The story Abraham tells is so engaging that the brain becomes an intriguing character." --Los Angles Times Book Review

Edition details

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0312303041
• ISBN 13: 9780312303044
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400