It was supposed to be an ordinary day of work for photographer Adam Voorhes back in 2011.
Voorhes was at the University of Texas on assignment for one of the many publications he works for to simply take a picture of a normal human brain. But while walking though the university's Animal Resources Center, he was led past more than 100 brain specimens in jars, all labeled with a date, an observation in ancient Latin and a case number, that were anything but normal - each brain was taken from former patients at Texas' state mental hospital in Austin, and all had certain defects.
After taking the photo he was assigned, Voorhes left campus. He did not forgot about those unique specimens he saw on the visit. The images of the brains stuck with him, and he made it a priority to get access to the specimens so he could photograph them.
When he was allowed to go back, and with the help of journalist Alex Hannaford, Voorhes tracked down information on as many specimens as possible based on case numbers on the jars. The duo discovered that almost half of the collection had been lost, and the remaining brains were the nearly 100 in front of them.
Three years later, Voorhes and Hannaford have chronicled their photographs and findings in "Malformed: Forgotten Brains of the Texas State Mental Hospital."
"Our hope for this project is to help preserve the remaining portion and foster greater interest in its beauty, historical importance and medical value," the book jacket states.
Check below for spectacular photos from the book, and take a look at Voorhes' website to see more of his work.
