Philly is filled to the brim with museums, but none of them are as bizarre as the infamous Mütter Museum. Maybe you’ve visited before, or maybe you’ve heard about it here and there. Let’s dig into the history and what makes it so wonderfully weird.
Sometime before his death in 1859, Philadelphia physician Thomas Mütter donated $30,000 along with his 1,700-item personal collection of bones, plaster cats, medical illustrations, and other pathological artifacts to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Since then, the college has continued adding to the collection. It now has more than 20,000 items of interest in the medical field. It serves as an educational tool for the public to understand and marvel at the beauty and mysteries of the human vessel. It also helps us to better appreciate the history and treatment of disease.
So what kind of weird things can you find inside these walls? Well, one of the most popular highlights features a little slice of Albert Einstein’s brain. Yes, really!
Visitors can also explore a 40-pound colon, the skeletal formation of a 7’6” man, and a special 139-piece collection of human skulls. Be sure to check out the death cast of Chang and Eng, the original “Siamese Twins,” whose autopsy was performed in the museum. Viewer discretion advised, my friend. It’s not for the faint of heart or the squeamish.
