Vladimir Vorobiev, a professor of anatomy at Kharkov University, argued that âmany anatomical compounds can be preserved for decades; this means we can try and apply them to an entire bodyâ.
The most important organ to be safeguarded was Leninâs brain. It was removed intact from his skull and placed in formaldehyde. For two years, no one dared touch it. But in 1926, the German neurologist Oskar Vogt was invited to try to unlock the key to Leninâs supposed genius. Professor Vogt established the Brain Institute in Moscow, with Leninâs organ as the focus of its studies.
The body had meanwhile been placed in the capable hands of Professor Vorobiev, who was given the weighty responsibility of saving Leninâs flesh from ruin. He was aided in his work by another expert, Boris Zbarsky; both men knew they would be executed if they failed.
Leninâs blood, bodily fluids and internal organs were removed shortly after the brain, as part of the initial embalming process. (The whereabouts of his heart remains a mystery to this day; it seems to have been lost shortly afterwards.)
Once the internal organs had been removed, the corpse was immersed for many weeks in a special solution that contained glycerol and acetate. The dark, mould-like spots that had started to appear on the body were later removed with acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
It was essential to keep the eye sockets from collapsing: artificial eyes were inserted into the holes as replacements for the originals. It was also important that the face looked as lifelike as possible. Leninâs eyebrows, moustache and goatee were therefore left untouched. His genitals, too, were left in situ (although it goes without saying that theyâre not on display).
While the body underwent a lengthy embalming process, the brain was given a detailed examination. Professor Vogt had long argued that there was a direct link between brain structure and intelligence. If correct in this assumption, there was no reason why he couldnât map the origins of Leninâs supposed genius.
The professor chopped the brain into four chunks and then had each chunk sliced into 7,500 microscopically thin sections. This required a custom-built brain slicer, not unlike the slicing machines used to cut Parma ham.
Some slices were stained purple and black for study under microscopes. The rest were left untouched in order that future generations might be able to study them.
Vogt and his team of Soviet scientists spent years studying the slices of brain and trying to make sense of their findings. The results of their scientific tests were eventually set down in fourteen volumes bound in green leather and embossed with a single word: LENIN.
But neither the professorâs work, nor that of the scientists that followed in his wake, was ever published. It was not until 1993 that Dr Oleg Adrianov, one of the Brain Instituteâs most distinguished technicians, was finally allowed to publish a paper on Leninâs brain.
There was good reason why the findings could not be made public earlier. Leninâs brain did indeed hold a secret, one so shocking that the Soviet hierarchy was determined to keep it under wraps.
The secret was this: his brain was no different from that of anyone else. âA brain is like a water melon,â said Dr Adrianov, âninety-five per cent of it is liquid.â Although Leninâs brain had unusually large pyramidal neurons, this had no reflection on its internal mechanism. âFrankly,â said Dr Adrianov, âI do not think he was a genius.â
And what of the rest of his body? For many years his corpse was under the supervision of Yuri Denisov-Nikolsky. When asked about his macabre job, he confessed to having shaking hands whenever he touched it.
âNot every expert is allowed to restore such treasured historical objects, like a Raphael or a Rembrandt. Those who do it, we tremble. I feel a great responsibility
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