Two Mad Scientists Who Went Too Far in the Name of Science

Science sometimes creeps me out. Not so much because of the discoveries of new planets or animals, or even diseases. It creeps me out because of what we as humans, are capable of doing in the name of science. And as much as I'd like to think that these kind of experiments never happened, they did. Scientists go to far in their “madness.”

Perhaps you once upon a time read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Some of the scientists listed (Ure, Galvani, and Dippel) were the inspiration behind Dr. Frankenstein. And despite Shelley's wonderful imagination, no amount of idealized creation could think of such things that these men were capable of doing.

Vladimir Demikhov (1916-1998)






Sergei Bruyukhonenko






His research led to the development of open-heart procedures. He developed a crude machine called the autojektor (a heart and lung machine). By using this primitive machine, Bryukhonenko kept the heads of severed dogs alive. In 1928, he displayed one of the heads in front of an audience. To prove it was real, he banged a hammer on the table. The head flinched. When a light was shone in its eyes, the eyes blinked. And when it was fed a piece of cheese, the remnants promptly popped out of the esophageal tube, much to the displeasure of disgusted viewers.