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German animal brain teaching aid.
German animal brain teaching aid.

Teaching Aid: Brains-on-Sticks

Buffalo, New York

Of the many fascinating exhibits at The Brain Museum, it was hard to walk away from the Animal Brains-on-Sticks. It's an old anatomical teaching aid from Germany, displaying replica brains from eight different animals. To our pop-culture-impaired eyes they look like face-hugger aliens, or some long forgotten power mutant collectible.

Dr. Chris Cohan, curator of the Brain Museum.
Dr. Chris Cohan, curator of the Brain Museum.

Each brain is mounted on a wooden handle that can be lifted off the display base. Labeled "Modelle von Wirbeltier-Gehirnen" ("Models of vertebrate brains"), the apparatus was a collaboration between a Professor Dr. R. Wiedersheim and a Freidrich Ziegler in Freiburg, who must have known their way around a critter's skull.

The brain replicas are labeled in Latin: "Columba domestica" (pigeon), Lepus cuniculus (hare), etc.

When we visited, the Animal Brains-on-Sticks were sitting atop a lab counter, probably destined to be dusted and tucked into a display case some day.

Brain Museum

Museum of Neuroanatomy

Address:
Sherman Rd, Buffalo, NY
Directions:
University at Buffalo, south campus. Northeast side of the city. I-290 exit 7A. Drive west on Hwy 5/Main St. for 2.5 miles. Turn left onto US Hwy 62/Baily Ave. Drive a half-mile. Turn right at blue sign (Health Sciences) onto Sherman Rd. The first building on the right is Sherman Hall; the museum is in the attached Biomedical Education Building, room 360.
Hours:
By appt, at least one week in advance. Email ccohan (at) buffalo.edu (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
716-829-3081
Admission:
Free
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

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