Published by Joseph Childs 2011 Š Joseph Childs 2011 www.josephchilds.net
The Brain of a Bear By Joseph Childs
Experiment 1 Transplantation
I make a shallow incision over the poll and forehead. I peel the skin away and ensure that no fat or muscle is inadvertently damaged. I then saw off the skullcap.
Using a sterilised scalpel I cut the meninges across the circumference of the brain matter and peel it away to reveal the naked brain.
This must be done extremely carefully, as the meninges membranes must be intact in order to receive their prospective brains.
These brains must now be placed carefully within their new craniums. The panda bear’s brain is lowered into the polar bear’s cranium and visa verse.
The scull cap must then be replaced so the bone can be stapled and the skin sewn.
Experiment 2 Reintegration
Subject one seems very disorientated and emerges into the enclosure tentatively. It moves slowly to an unoccupied corner, trying to avoid contact with the other panda bears.
Subject two emerges with confidence and seems alert and inquisitive. After a short period of time it moves up to a group of polar bears and rises up on two legs to display its dominance.
Subject one is frequently attacked by the other bears, often being cornered, bitten and scratched into submission.
Subject two fits comfortably into the group, establishing itself as a high-ranking male. What is also interesting is its ease in adapting to its new carnivorous diet.
Experiment 3 Assessments
In order to determine the intelligence of the two subjects, a large maze has been constructed with only one entrance and one exit. Subject two finds the task very easy and completes the maze in a mere ten minutes.
Subject one has major difficulties solving the maze, and after two hours of observing it fail we decided to abort the experiment.
Subject one displays a very low reaction speed and almost no sex drive. It also shows strong signs of fear, responding naturally to the pain generator.
Subject two scores a healthy result, well above the other control groups. Its sexual arousal is also synonymous to that of a healthy young polar bear.
Experiment 4 Encounter
Within the next stage of the experiment, subject two will be allowed access to subject one. No recognition of their former body is expected so mating cannot be ruled out.
Subject two instantly finds subject one interesting and approaches it confidently. Subject one seems uneasy and standoffish with subject two’s advances, but its resolve is eventually weakened.
After a number of hours of circling, mating occurs.
An unexpected bond has developed and for the first time subject one appears at ease.
Termination and Taxidermy
After termination of the experiment, I decided to allow the subjects to be displayed within the collection of a museum. I was informed by letter that the exhibit was a runaway success.