We are publishing on October 31st to bring you an exclusive SPOOKY archives of the month! Today we are visiting the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. This museum has an immense collection of 35,000 preserved “anatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments in a nineteenth-century ‘cabinet museum’ setting”. This includes the permanent Hyrtl Skull Collection of 139 human skulls by Josef Hyrtl acquired in 1874. The Viennese anatomist aimed to show proof that certain cranial features were not “evidence of intelligence and personality and that racial differences [did not cause] anatomical differences”.

Once almost exclusively visited by medical students and professionals, this museum has risen in popularity due not only to its macabre collections but also to the tireless work of its librarians and staff members. With the help of outreach programs, events, and advertising campaigns, the museum rebranded itself as a “disturbingly informed” museum of medical history. Current exhibitions include Unseen, and Spit Spreads Death. Unseen is a photography exhibit by Nikki Johnson showcasing objects in the archives restricted from public view. Spit Spreads Death is a riveting special exhibition on the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic in Philadelphia.

The Mütter Museum has more than 3,000 osteological specimens, including representations of illness, trauma, and corset deformation. Their historical medical photograph collection has patient x-rays and photographs of rare diseases and malformations like conjoined twins and amputations. The museum also hosts over 1,300 wet specimens, which are parts of the human body encased in fluid (think cysts or tumors).

The largest spooky attraction this year would have to be the special exhibition entitled Dracula and the Incorruptible Body. It explores “how folklore, embalming and funerary practices, and the misunderstanding of diseases like tuberculosis, led to post-mortem identifications of ordinary citizens as vampires in the 19th century”. This is part of the museum’s Year of Dracula, which includes vampire-themed movie nights, literary lectures, and a blood drive!

The Mütter Research Institute partners with “historic, scientific, or medical institutions with the goal of utilizing College collections to conduct research relevant to 21^st-century human health”.

Thank you for reading our spooky archives of the month blog, and we hope you have a fun and safe Oct. 31^st! As always, if you are interested in joining SAASC, you can find out more here.

 

But…what if a shelf filled with medically preserved human skulls isn’t your thing? We made a list below of spooky archives, places, and things for your enjoyment!

 

Sedlec Ossuary, The Church of Bones: https://sedlecossuary.com/

Museo de la Tortura, a collection of Spanish Inquisition torture devices: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-la-tortura

The Jonathan Corwin House in Salem, MA: https://www.thewitchhouse.org/

The Poe Museum: https://poemuseum.org/

Icons of Darkness, a collection of screen-used special effects, props, and costumes: https://www.iconsofdarkness.com/

Ireland’s National Cemetery, including City of the Dead and O’Connell’s Crypt: https://www.dctrust.ie/experience-glasnevin.html

Museum of Jurassic Technology: https://www.mjt.org/

Archive of “Creepy” magazine: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/CPY/creepy-archives

Ventriloquist Dummy Museum: https://www.venthaven.org/

National Museum Of Funeral History In Houston, Texas: https://www.nmfh.org/

Mummy Museum in Mexico: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-las-momias-de-guanajuato

 

More info here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/inside-las-strangest-museum-180954803/

 

References

Mütter Musuem. (2022). Website. https://muttermuseum.org/

Images used:

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of the Mutter Museum’s photo booklet: Highlights from the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0703/6125/products/mutter_cover_1024x1024@2x.jpg?v=1440626711

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of Dracula and the corruptible body site. https://muttermuseum.org/static/7e76c235cd4552ec815345de851032ed/d0f42/web_mutter_draculaexhibit_0.webp

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of Hands with Gout. https://muttermuseum.org/static/031c4e11297c674647d345d39bb638d8/6fc9d/hands_with_gout.webp

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of Hyrtl Skull Collection. https://muttermuseum.org/static/4aa26d610f47e0a3bbeba43998bd7f9c/96b1e/2021_muesum_installations_hyrtl_skulls_misc-8.webp

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of Cephalothoracopagus. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0703/6125/products/Ceph_Keychain_6217767e-deac-46de-86e9-cc4c49526599_540x.jpg?v=1541351478