Mutter Museum...

Over the weekend, Mom, my niece and nephews and I went to visit the Mutter Museum. I had seen glimpses of the infamous collection on various TV documentaries over the years and thought it would be something interesting to see in person.

According to the Mutter Museum:

America's finest museum of medical history, the Mutter displays its beautifully preserved collections of anatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments in a 19th century "cabinet museum" setting. The goal of the Museum is to help the public understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body while appreciating the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease.

The Collection began as a donation from Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter, who was determined to improve and reform medical education. The donation stipulated that the College had to hire a Curator, maintain and expand the collection, fund annual lectures and erect a brick building to house the collection. Since 1858, the College has held true to its promise to Dr. Mutter. Today the museum enjoys steadily rising international popularity, including a recent documentary on the Discovery Channel and two best-selling books.

We found parking across the street. The parking was an unusual arrangement where we would leave money in a slot designated for a given parking space. Presumably, someone would come along at periodic intervals and open up the box to see if there was money in the slot for each of the assigned parking spaces.

The museum isn't very large, but, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in the size of its collection of medical oddities. We started one the first floor which houses a truly impressive array of skulls in the Hyrtl Skull Collection. As it happens, at least until the end of this year, you'll be able to adopt a skull in the collection. Proceeds from the adoption will go towards cleaning, preservation and remounting of the skulls.

Later, we ventured downstairs to see the museum's other collections of medical oddities. The younger crowd were really impressed by all of the items on display. Mom was a bit grossed out by everything, but, all things considered, she still managed to have a good time.