Physical evidence of body oddities and medical mysteries from long-gone eras.

by Contributor

In Short
Part freak show, part scientific historical vault, the Mutter Museum is one of Philadelphia's truly original--and truly bizarre--treasures. Housed in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, it was established in 1849 to preserve scientific material for research. The collection has since grown to include such artifacts as the livers of Siamese twins Chang and Eng, bladder stones and Florence Nightingale's sewing kit.

09/19/06

Wacky Place : )

by bdigger1

It's great to see freaks like me here. I'm going to donate my unusually large head to science here when I die for all to see. Cool place.

08/03/06

Mutter Museum

by npol

A little known treasure. Fascinating in a bizarre way. Even tho children under 6 are admitted free, DO NOT TAKE THEM. Much as I like this place, I don't think I would take anybody under 13 - and only then, a teen with an interest in science and/or medicine. If you have those interests you will learn a great deal.

08/03/06

Great museum

by 1aa2da3da

I am a surgical nurse, and while in Philly, I just had to go to the Mutter Museum. I found it interesting, although, I am sure it is more interesting to someone who has never had the opportunity to see different body parts. Great place, though, and very educational. But, you really need to get some new body parts. Believe me, fellows, there are plenty of gallbladders and appendix to replace the really old ones in your displays.

• Pros: Very educational
• Cons: Difficult to see through the old wavy glass at displays on bottom shelves.

09/14/03

mutter museum

by bubbles1014

the mutter museum is an amazing place to visit ifyou are fasinated bythe darker things in life , not easily grossed out and/or are open minded . this museum has a lot to offer numerous oddities and other highly educational stuff . i have found that many people who have no typically been interested in this kind of medical oddity have still managed to highly enjoy their visit

• Pros: extensive information, very interesting , eye opener
• Cons: small building , lack of NEW exibits , tiny gift shop

11/21/02

Enthralling

by drroal

Great place to spend a rainy afternoon, especially for a science fan. So many interesting things to see that you never thought could happen to a human body. Check it out!

• Pros: Exhibits, Self-guided
• Cons: Crammed, Needs to be updated

11/02/02

tooo strange for words

by sran_l

for the average minded normal person this museum is gross. to someone involved in the medical field its a trip back in time, a teaching tool and visual discription of the unimagionable abnormalities that they may never see or experience. to see how far science and medicine have come in such a relatively short time is to say the lest amazing. the tools that were once considered state of the art. look barbaric. and yet some are basically the same. a student of medicine or just the curious can examine the medical tools used just a few decades before them and marvel at how far things have come or have they.

• Pros: focused, interesting, a good experience
• Cons: limited interest, exhibit areas small, parking lousy

10/31/02

Harry IS Great!

by chic420

Hi...

I am aPatient/friend of Dr Fred KaplanatHUP & amlookingforwardto visit this ,museum. As yet Ihaven't been, butknow Soooo Much about Itsure FeelsLile I have!

• Pros: interesting, informative, Reality
• Cons: need more about FOP

08/01/02

Greetings from the Soap Lady

by MicheleMoss_Citysearch

Dont plan on eating right before or after a visit. Keeping that little caveat in mind, this is by far the most unusual museum Ive ever visited. It satisfies all your curiosities about disease, deformities, and human oddities (ie. The lady who turned to soap). Go ahead and stare all you wanttheres a giant colon, embryos in jars and hundreds of skulls. Unless you can totally detach yourself, much of the collection is just plain creepy but in an incredibly interesting way. The two floors are set up nicely with plenty of literature and informative plaques along the way. Dont forget to stop by the gift counternothing says I love you like a copy of the annual Mutter calendar!

• Pros: Unusual, Informative, Interesting
• Cons: Creepy, Unsettling

07/31/02

Oddities and Novelties from Wall to Wall

by city_user

This museum offers an exciting and eye-opening alternative to the traditional Independence Hall tourist attractions. Not for the faint of heart, this facility not only features a wall of skulls and novelties of Siamese twins, but also original medical and diagnostic tools. The exhibit of diseases of the eyes is startling and eye-popping. The section on infectious diseases, from Legionnaire's disease in Philadelphia to the mass eradication of smallpox is informative, with pictures and displays of infected individuals. For a truly unique museum experience about which you will want to tell all of your friends, give this museum a try!

• Pros: Unique, Informative
• Cons: Slightly grotesque