The Mütter Museum

Why go

The Mütter Museum earns time because it offers an unusually direct encounter with the history of medicine and the ethics of collecting human remains. Its central thread is medical specimens, instruments and case histories displayed by the College of Physicians. The Hyrtl Skull Collection pairs anatomy with the recorded lives of many individuals. Historic instruments and preserved specimens show how diagnosis and treatment changed.

What to look for

• The Hyrtl Skull Collection pairs anatomy with the recorded lives of many individuals.
• Historic instruments and preserved specimens show how diagnosis and treatment changed.

The full story

The Mütter Museum is best understood through medical specimens, instruments and case histories displayed by the College of Physicians. The Mütter Museum is a medical museum located in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains a collection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment. The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The original purpose of the collection, donated by Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter in 1858, was for biomedical research and education. The Mütter Museum originated as a collection of specimens and medical tools used for education in medicine. Now the Museum boasts a collection of over 20,000 specimens, of which about 13% are on display. This does not include the large literary collection contained within the Historical Medical Library, which is also housed within the College of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Mütter Museum is home to over 3,000 osteological specimens, including several full skeletons. One of the most famous of these is the fully articulated skeleton of Harry Raymond Eastlack, who suffered from FOP. Eastlack donated his skeleton to the Mütter collection to assist in further medical understanding of the condition. The Hyrtl Skull Collection, a collection of 139 skulls from Joseph Hyrtl, a Viennese anatomist. This collection’s original purpose was to show the diversity of cranial anatomy in Europeans.

Useful to know

• Allow time to read labels; the galleries are dense and the subject matter can be intense.
• Photography and visitor rules are stricter around sensitive human remains, so check before shooting.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.