All of us are familiar with Whitman’s fascination with physiognomy, the assessment of a person’s character by their outward appearance. From what I’ve heard, he had his own head read on several occasions.
It makes sense, then, that Whitman donated his own brain to science upon his death. His brain was kept preserved at the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, as part of a collection of other brains from intelligent and renowned figures.
Unfortunately, at some point in time Whitman’s brain was dropped by a lab assistant–and therefore ruined and discarded.
Poor Whit–he must have turned over in his grave.
For the curious, here is the article where I found this.