Mütter Museum facts for kids
.jpg)
The museum is housed within the College of Physicians of Philadelphia
|
|
| Established | 1863 (original location) 1909 (present location) |
|---|---|
| Location | 19 S. 22nd Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Type | Medical history and science |
| Accreditation | Not accredited |
| Collections | Medical instruments, anatomical models, biological specimens |
| Collection size | 25,000+ |
| Visitors | 120,000+ |
| Founder | Thomas Dent Mütter |
| Owner | The College of Physicians of Philadelphia |
| Public transit access |  22nd Street:
Subway–surface trolley lines
 SEPTA bus: 7, 31, 44, 62, 124, 125 Philly PHLASH (at 20th and Market streets) |
| Nearest parking | On-street metered parking, parking garage at S. 21st St. |
The Mütter Museum is a unique museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It focuses on the history of medicine and science. Here you can find a collection of body parts, disease-related specimens, wax models, and old medical tools.
The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. It was started with a gift from Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter in 1858. The museum's first goal was to teach doctors and medical students. It only opened to the public in the mid-1970s.
The museum has over 37,000 items in its collection. About 10% of these are on display. It also has a huge library of medical books and writings.
Many items were bought by doctors traveling the world. Others were given as gifts from private medical collections. In 2023, the museum received a grant to study how its human remains were collected. This research will help the museum decide its future.
Contents
Exploring the Mütter Museum's Collections
The Mütter Museum has many interesting and sometimes unusual collections. These help us learn about the human body and medical history.
What are Osteological Specimens?
Osteological specimens are skeletal remains, like bones. The Mütter Museum has over 3,000 of these. This includes several full human skeletons.
Famous Skeletons and Skulls
- Harry Raymond Eastlack: One famous skeleton is Harry Raymond Eastlack. He had a rare condition called FOP. This disease causes muscles and soft tissues to turn into bone.
- The Mütter American Giant: This is the tallest human skeleton on display in North America. It stands at 7 feet 6 inches (228.6 cm) tall.
- The Hyrtl Skull Collection: This collection has 139 skulls gathered by Josef Hyrtl. He was an anatomist from Austria. He wanted to show how different European skulls could be. This helped to disprove the idea of phrenology, which wrongly linked skull shape to personality.
- Mary Ashberry's Skeleton: This is the skeleton of a woman who died in 1856. She had achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism.
What are Wet Specimens?
Wet specimens are body parts or organs preserved in liquid. The Mütter Museum has nearly 1,500 of these. They show different diseases and conditions.
Unique Wet Specimens
- Robert Pendarvis's Heart: This is the heart of a living donor with acromegaly. This condition causes too much growth hormone.
- Cholera Intestines: These are intestinal samples from the 1849 cholera outbreak. They were collected by Dr. John Neill.
- Tattooed Skin: The museum also has preserved tattooed skin from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
What are Wax Models?
The museum uses wax models to show different human body conditions. These models were made by artists like Tramond of Paris and Joseph Towne of London. They were used for teaching when it was hard to get and preserve real bodies.
Madame Dimanche's Horn
One famous wax model shows Madame Dimanche. She was a Parisian widow who had a "human horn" growing from her head. It was successfully removed in the early 1800s.
Other Interesting Items
The museum also holds many other unique items:
- A tumor removed from President Grover Cleveland's mouth.
- The liver and plaster body cast of Chang and Eng Bunker. They were famous Siamese twins from Thailand and America.
- A piece of tissue from John Wilkes Booth. He was the person who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
- A part of the brain of Charles J. Guiteau. He was the person who assassinated President James A. Garfield.
- The Chevalier Jackson Foreign Body Collection: This collection has 2,374 objects that people swallowed or breathed in. Dr. Jackson removed these items from patients. Most of them are on display.
Museum Exhibitions and Gardens
The Mütter Museum offers both permanent displays and special changing exhibits.
Dr. Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden
Dr. Rush helped start The College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 1787. He wanted a garden where doctors could grow medicinal plants. The garden was created in 1937. It has 50 to 60 different medicinal herbs and plants. These include strawberries, wormwort, and bugleweed.
Special Exhibitions
The museum often hosts new and exciting special exhibits. These displays change over time, so there's always something new to see.
Important People at the Mütter Museum
Many dedicated people have helped shape the Mütter Museum over the years.
Dr. Joseph McFarland: Early Curator
Dr. Joseph McFarland was the museum's curator from 1937 to 1945. He researched the true stories behind some of the museum's items. He proved that some earlier stories about specimens were not true.
Ella N. Wade: First Female Curator
Ella Wade (1892-1980) started as a clerk at the College. She became the first female curator of the museum. She was also the first curator without a medical degree.
Gretchen Worden: Director and Public Face
Gretchen Worden joined the museum in 1975. She became the curator in 1982 and director in 1988. She was known for her appearances on TV shows. She helped many more people learn about the Mütter Museum. During her time, the number of visitors grew from hundreds to over 60,000 each year. A gallery at the museum is named in her memory.
Learning More: Podcasts and Books
The Mütter Museum also shares its stories through other projects.
My Favorite Malady Podcast
In 2020, the Mütter Museum started a podcast called "My Favorite Malady." It shares interesting stories from medical history.
Books About the Museum
Several books feature the Mütter Museum's collections.
- The Mütter Museum: Of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (2002) shows photos of the exhibits.
- Mütter Museum Historic Medical Photographs (2007) features old medical photos.
Dr. Mütter's Marvels Book
A book called Dr. Mütter's Marvels tells the true story of the museum's founder, Thomas Dent Mütter. It was published in 2014 and became a bestseller.
