Medical Mysteries Unveiled at the Mutter Museum

by Kate Hollinger | From Summer 2007

If you have a hard time telling a tibia from a fibula, this may peak your interest. The Mutter Museum, on South 22nd Street, contains a wealth of knowledge for past and present medical professionals and is just as entertaining and intriguing to us commoners, who never got past Biology 101. Named after the 19th century Surgeon and Jefferson Medical College Professor, Doctor Thomas D. Mutter (also, predecessor of Dr. Samuel D. Gross!), The Mutter Museum is located in the historic College of Physician’s Building. It challenges even the strongest of stomachs. There is the tallest skeleton in North America; a cast made from the torso of a pair of Siamese twins conjoined at the liver; a large collection of skulls; and even the carcinoma removed from President Grover Cleveland’s hard palate. You can also view a five foot long human colon; a woman whose corpse was turned into soap after being buried underground; a display of preserved human fetuses; and even a portion of Charles Guiteau’s brain, the man who killed President James Garfield.

If you wish to delve further into the technicalities of the medical world look no further! The College of Physician’s Building is also home to the Library and Wood Institute, which has an extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, and century-old medical journals. The tranquil Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden sits just outside of the Museum and holds more than fifty different species of medicinal herbs. Doctor Benjamin Rush not only signed the Declaration of Independence but he also urged his students to keep these herb gardens to use as back-up. Even if flora isn’t your thing, the garden serves as a perfect place to relax as it holds a few benches and a small path to circle around and explore.

The next time you are free, head to the Mutter’s Museum and check it out for yourself. At the very least, it will give you an excellent waiting room conversation topic at your next doctor’s appointment, and for others, it will make a difference when studying for your MCAT’s.