The Mütter Museum, located at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, is a unique and intriguing institution that showcases an assortment of medical oddities and artifacts from the 19th century. With approximately 160,000 visitors each year, the museum offers a diverse collection of anatomical and pathological specimens. Some notable exhibits include skulls affected by syphilis, spines contorted by rickets, skeletons altered by corsets, microcephalic fetuses, a two-headed baby, a bound foot from China, an ovarian cyst the size of a Jack Russell terrier, Grover Cleveland’s jaw tumor, the liver that connected the original “Siamese twins,” Cheng and Eng Bunker, and the preserved body of the Soap Lady, whose fatty tissues decomposed into a substance known as adipocere.
“People are inherently fascinated by the extraordinary,” said Dean Richardson, professor of equine surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center. “Who can look at a two-headed calf without wanting to understand how it came to be? Biology is a marvel, and its intricate nature inevitably leads to some ‘errors.'”
Renowned magician and Philadelphia native, Teller, describes the Mütter as a place of unfiltered honesty. He believes that the museum allows visitors to confront genuine artifacts of human suffering, enabling them to appreciate the remarkable accomplishments of medicine on a visceral level.
However, like many museums, the Mütter is currently reevaluating its content and purpose. In response to criticism, the institution has enlisted a public-relations consultant with expertise in crisis management to address concerns from both internal and external sources.
The controversy arose in February when avid followers of the Mütter’s website and YouTube channel noticed that the majority of its 450 images and videos had been removed. Rumors quickly spread, and three months later, the museum’s executive director, Kate Quinn, provided an explanation. She stated that the clips, which had accumulated over 13 million views, were being reevaluated to enhance the visitor experience. A diverse group of 13 individuals, including medical historians, bioethicists, disability advocates, and community members, were invited to offer feedback on the digital collection. This “post-mortem” assessment aims to ensure that the museum’s online presence is appropriate and respectful toward its 6,500 human remains on display.
The response to Quinn’s ethical review was intense. An online petition was launched, garnering nearly 33,000 signatures from devoted Mütter enthusiasts who expressed their love for the museum and its existing websites. They criticized Quinn and Dr. Mira Irons, the president and CEO of the College of Physicians, for making decisions that exhibited a blatant disregard for the museum. The petition demanded the restoration of all web content and called for the immediate termination of Quinn and Dr. Irons. To date, only a quarter of the removed videos have been reinstated.
In addition to the petition, The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece titled “Cancel Culture Comes for Philly’s Weirdest Museum,” which accused the Mütter’s new leaders of succumbing to “woke” ideologies and attempting to erase anything uncomfortable. Former museum director Robert Hicks, who resigned earlier this year, shared similar sentiments in his embittered resignation letter, accusing Dr. Irons of expressing disdain for the museum and calling for an investigation into her and Quinn’s alleged elitist and exclusionary views of the Mütter. It is worth noting that neither Dr. Hicks nor Dr. Goldfarb attempted to directly address their concerns with Quinn or Dr. Irons.
Amidst these professional disagreements, 13 employees decided to leave, and unfounded rumors began circulating on social media. Speculation included Dr. Irons transforming the Mütter into a research museum closed to the public, Quinn quietly removing permanent exhibits featuring abnormal fetuses, and administrators deliberately deterring “freaky Goths” while deviating from the organization’s mission of promoting understanding of the human body and the history of diagnosing and treating diseases.
Dr. Irons vehemently denies these rumors, stating that her sole intention is to ensure that the displayed materials meet professional standards and serve the college and museum’s mission. She views the controversies surrounding the museum as resistance to any form of change, preventing meaningful discussions from taking place.
The Mütter Museum was founded in 1859 by Thomas Dent Mütter, a surgery professor, to provide medical students with real-life examples of what they might encounter in their careers. The museum, endowed with $30,000 and a collection of 1,700 anatomical oddities and medical curiosities, expanded over the years through donations and acquisitions. Some items, like the saponified corpse of the Soap Lady, were acquired through unconventional means such as bribing grave diggers. In the past, medical schools often obtained unclaimed corpses, including those of inmates, paupers, suicide victims, and Native Americans, to use as cadavers for dissection and anatomy lessons.
Although initially intended only for medical practitioners, the Mütter opened its doors to the public in 1863, attracting 5,000 visitors annually by the 1970s. According to Dr. Richardson, the museum’s appeal lies in its ability to capture people’s interest through its eccentric and intriguing exhibits, sparking investigations into more substantial scientific matters.
In 1986, Gretchen Worden, the museum’s curator at the time, transformed the Mütter into a theatrical Victorian-era cabinet of curiosities, complete with red carpets and velvet drapes. Her unconventional methods, including marketing the museum through an eccentric calendar and appearing on national television shows, were initially met with resistance from trustees. However, they ultimately proved successful, with the Mütter now generating a significant portion of the college’s revenue through admissions, the museum store, and library services.
Nevertheless, museums that display human remains face increasing scrutiny and public scrutiny. Some institutions have abandoned the use of the term “mummy” to describe preserved ancient Egyptian corpses, considering it dehumanizing. In this changing landscape, Dr. Irons acknowledges the necessity for the Mütter to evolve and adapt. She aims to ensure that visitors view damaged body parts not as curiosities or objects but as reminders of real individuals who were once alive.
As a physician specializing in rare genetic diseases, Dr. Irons herself struggles with certain exhibits, particularly those featuring fetal specimens presented purely as medical novelties. She believes these displays should provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individual, the condition they suffered from, and the medical advancements that could impact patients with similar conditions today.
Kate Quinn, previously the director of exhibitions and public programs at the Penn Museum, joined the Mütter with the goal of returning the institution to its original mission. Her vision entails departing from any perception of the museum as a spectacle or collection of oddities, and instead focusing on preserving and respecting the collections in their care.
The Mütter Museum, with its rich history and distinctive collection, remains a subject of debate and critical examination. Ultimately, the museum aims to strike a balance between maintaining its unique allure and ensuring that its displays adhere to ethical and professional standards while promoting a deeper understanding of the human body and the history of medical diagnosis and treatment.
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