Test tubes with original hand-written labels containing the first chemicals isolated from the human brain, prepared by J. L. W. Thudichum, St Thomas's Hospital, London, 1865-71. Choline platinochloride; lecithin cadmium chloride; phrenosine; kerasine; in perspex display case

These test tubes were prepared by J L W Thudichum at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, between 1865 and 1871. They contain the first chemicals to be isolated from the human brain and as such are icons of the earliest history of biochemistry. J L W Thudichum made a significant contribution to neurochemistry and the Biochemical Society awards a Thudichum Medal to those who have made outstanding contributions to neurochemistry and related subjects.