Bischoff and weight of the brain
2019/09/13 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia
Not everything is gold. This is what happens with prestigious scientists. We know them for their research and discoveries. But they have another side, more personal, and here you will find anecdotes, rumors or curiosities about them.
The first protagonist of this episode is the German scientist Theodor von Bischoff. Bischoff was well known for his studies of the human brain around 1870. One of his works was to weigh brains and calculate the average weight. According to the data obtained, the male brain weighed on average more than the female: 1.350 grams for men, 1.250 grams for women.
Based on this data, Bischoff, considered very macho, claimed over and over again the male intellectual domain. The man's brain weighed 100 grams more than the woman's, so he had no doubt that the men were faster. For these arguments, logically, she received criticism from women of the time.
When Bischoff died, by his own will, his brain was studied. And guess how much did Bischoff's brain weigh? 1245 grams, lower than the female average. Someone will think he was well deserved!
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