46 Microscope Slides Become Part of Permanent Collections

The Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is known
throughout for its unique collections of medical history; from antiquated medical tools and wax instructional models, to human specimens preserved in fluids.
The museum introduced today (Nov. 17) its newest item from America’s medical past; 46 microscope slides, each containing slices from the brain of Albert Einstein, PhD.
The slides were prepared in 1955 in the pathology lab of Dr. William Ehrich, Chief of Pathology at the Philadelphia General Hospital and the Graduate School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Five sets of slides were prepared in the lab, one set was given to Dr. Ehrich by Thomas Harvey, MD, the physician who performed the post-mortem exam on Einstein at Princeton Hospital.
After Dr. Ehrich died in 1967, his widow gave them to Allen Steinberg, MD. Dr. Steinberg gave them to Lucy Rorke-Adams, MD, Senior Neuropathologist, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Clinical Professor of Pathology, Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, and a longtime Fellow of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
“I think the time has come to turn them over to the College and the Mütter Museum as they are a part of medical history,” said Dr. Rorke-Adams, who is also a trustee of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “The slides were prepared by a very skilled technician named Mrs. Marthe Keller. Each slide has tissue embedded in celloidin and cut at 50 micra. They are stained with Nissl and Weigert stains. No one makes preparations like this anymore.”
“We were very excited to learn of this new donation,” said Robert Hicks, PhD, Director of the Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “We have not been able to find a display of Einstein’s Brain anywhere else.”
Museum staff have been scrambling to get things in place for the new exhibition, learning of the donation on Nov. 2 . “It’s rare that we learn about such a donation and then have to display it so quickly,” said Anna Dhody, Curator of the Mütter. “Usually we have months or even years to design and build an exhibition, but this came up so suddenly. The worst thing we could do is tell the world, ‘Yes, we have Einstein’s Brain, but you have to wait a few months until we can display it.’ We couldn’t do that, especially since people have asked us for years if we already had it.”
George M. Wohlreich, MD, Director and CEO of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia pointed out that, “This underscores that the Mütter is a vital scientific resource valued by professionals as a repository for our medical and scientific heritage. Dr. Rorke-Adams chose us because of the Museum’s standing in
the scientific and medical heritage community. These slides can still hold secrets that future research and technologies can reveal. There are several ongoing research projects that utilize our collections. These research initiatives send a message that the past can inform the future.”

Einstein’s Brain is a permanent exhibition of the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of
Philadelphia and may be viewed as part of regular admission.
The Mütter Museum is open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $14 for adults, and $10 for children, seniors, military and students with valid ID. It is located at 19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia.
For more information, visit www.collegeofphysicians.org.



Features of the Mutter's collection:
• Soap Lady
• Dr. Joseph Hyrtl’s human skull collection
• Plaster cast and conjoined liver of “Siamese twins” Chang & Eng
• Specimen from John Wilkes Booth’s vertebra
• Jaw tumor of President Grover Cleveland
• Rotating exhibits of photographic art and illustrations
• Tallest skeleton on display in North America