Wilder Brain Collection

The Wilder Brain Collection is a research collection of 70 preserved human brains in glass containers, housed in Cornell University's psychology department in Ithaca. The specimens come from academics, writers, and other educated individuals who donated their brains for study.

A Civil War physician founded a society at Cornell University in 1889 to collect brains from educated people for research purposes. The collection grew over several decades until shifts in scientific ethics ended such practices.

The collection carries the name of Burt Green Wilder, a surgeon who sought to learn more about intelligence by studying brains of prominent contemporaries. Some donors believed their brains could serve science after death, a belief that was common in the late 19th century.

Eight specimens from the collection are displayed in a case on the second floor of Uris Hall on campus. Visitors should check with the psychology department for access, as viewing may be limited.

A slice of a pumpkin lantern that appeared on McGraw Tower in 1997 is kept among the brain specimens. No one knows exactly how the pumpkin reached the top of the tower, and the preserved remnant commemorates the prank.

Creator: Burt Green Wilder

GPS coordinates: 42.44720,-76.48220

Latest update: December 3, 2025 20:30