{"id":3253,"date":"2022-10-31T10:55:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T17:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/?p=3253"},"modified":"2022-10-31T12:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T19:24:36","slug":"archives-of-the-month-the-mutter-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/2022\/10\/31\/archives-of-the-month-the-mutter-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Archives of the Month: The M\u00fctter Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We are publishing on October 31st to bring you an exclusive SPOOKY<\/strong> archives of the month! Today we are visiting the M\u00fctter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia<\/a>. This museum has an immense collection of 35,000 preserved \u201canatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments in a nineteenth-century \u2018cabinet museum\u2019 setting\u201d. This includes the permanent Hyrtl Skull Collection <\/em><\/a>of 139 human skulls by Josef Hyrtl acquired in 1874. The Viennese anatomist aimed to show proof that certain cranial features were not \u201cevidence of intelligence and personality and that racial differences [did not cause] anatomical differences\u201d.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cdisturbingly informed\u201d museum of medical history. Current exhibitions include Unseen<\/em>, and Spit Spreads Death<\/em>. Unseen<\/em><\/a> is a photography exhibit by Nikki Johnson showcasing objects in the archives restricted from public view. Spit Spreads Death<\/em><\/a> is a riveting special exhibition on the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

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The M\u00fctter 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).<\/p>\n

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The largest spooky attraction this year would have to be the special exhibition entitled Dracula and the Incorruptible Body<\/em><\/a>. 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\u2019s Year of Dracula<\/a>, which includes vampire-themed movie nights, literary lectures, and a blood drive!<\/p>\n

The M\u00fctter Research Institute<\/a> partners with \u201chistoric, scientific, or medical institutions with\u00a0the goal of utilizing College collections to conduct research relevant to 21st<\/sup>-century human health\u201d.<\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

But\u2026what if a shelf filled with medically preserved human skulls isn\u2019t your thing? We made a list below of spooky archives, places, and things for your enjoyment!<\/p>\n

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Sedlec Ossuary, The Church of Bones<\/strong>: https:\/\/sedlecossuary.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Museo de la Tortura, a collection of Spanish Inquisition torture devices:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/places\/museo-de-la-tortura<\/a><\/p>\n

The Jonathan Corwin House in Salem, MA:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.thewitchhouse.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Poe Museum<\/strong>: https:\/\/poemuseum.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Icons of Darkness, a collection of screen-used special effects, props, and costumes:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.iconsofdarkness.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s National Cemetery, including City of the Dead and O\u2019Connell\u2019s Crypt:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.dctrust.ie\/experience-glasnevin.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Museum of Jurassic Technology:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.mjt.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Archive of \u201cCreepy\u201d magazine:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/series\/CPY\/creepy-archives<\/a><\/p>\n

Ventriloquist Dummy Museum:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.venthaven.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

National Museum Of Funeral History In Houston, Texas:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.nmfh.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Mummy Museum in Mexico:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/places\/museo-de-las-momias-de-guanajuato<\/a><\/p>\n

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More info here: https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/travel\/inside-las-strangest-museum-180954803\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

M\u00fctter Musuem. (2022). Website. https:\/\/muttermuseum.org\/<\/p>\n

Images used: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Mutter Museum. (2022). Screenshot of the Mutter Museum’s photo booklet: Highlights from the M\u00fctter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.<\/em> https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0703\/6125\/products\/mutter_cover_1024x1024@2x.jpg?v=1440626711<\/p>\n

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

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

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

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are publishing on October 31st to bring you an exclusive SPOOKY archives of the month! Today we are visiting … Continue reading Archives of the Month: The M\u00fctter Museum<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[75,99,108,92,109],"class_list":["post-3253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-archives","tag-archives-of-the-month","tag-october","tag-saasc","tag-spooky"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Archives-of-the-Month-The-Mutter-Museum-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3253"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3289,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3253\/revisions\/3289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/saasc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}