The Mütter Museum at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia — Attraction in Philadelphia

I bought tickets to the Mutter Museum on the recommendation of an acquaintance, and because I have always been curious about it.

The museum bills itself as a medical diagnosis library, but that is misleading at best.

It's obvious the Mutter has made some attempts in recent years to correct their severely problematic collection; and, it's also clear they are unwilling to take the steps necessary to actually remedy it.

The Mutter is a display of people's body parts. The display attempts to acknowledge where the collection came from (mostly non-consensually), but the signs are little more than lip service. In fact, acknowledging that these humans did not consent to have their remains displayed just reinforces that the Mutter organization thinks it's OK to do so!! Now that is profoundly NOT COOL. It's like saying, "I know you didn't want me to humiliate you in front of all these people, but I'm doing it anyway because they paid good money to see it, and I'll just let them know when they get here that you never wanted this to happen." Da fuk?! How to improve this situation, understanding that you'd never just close down the museum:

1. remove any remains that were not given to the collection consensually.
2. curate the display so it actually TEACHES about the history of DIAGNOSIS in more detail, showing the TRANSFORMATION over time in history.
3. display no more than 5 skulls. That's enough to identify difference and EDUCATE people on what they are looking at. It shouldn't be this overwhelming display with zero meaning except shock value. Do not display any skulls from people who were executed (murdered)  (you have no evidence... Displaying with their accused crime is cruel and dehumanizes people who deserve better, and feeds in to this idea that people accused of crime are less than human instead of having compassion for them and their individual life circumstances.... Instead maybe present a history of the development and issues present in our current criminal justice system?)
4. out in the garden display detailed descriptions of what the lives were like for the women, indigenous, and enslaved people's whos knowledge created the basis of contemporary pharma. Discuss the pros and cons of herbal treatments vs contemplate pharmaceuticals in a scientifically accurate way.

Let's hope Mutter is only in the beginning steps of their transformation.

Closing...

Thought I'd edit as there have been a few changes!

It feels very much like a change of direction for the museum and a real exploration of it's future- I think it's fair to say some will support and others won't. In my opinion, the new exhibitions that have gone in don't seem the same quality as the ones they replaced. At the moment in the temp room is Personal Stories and Public Health- it's very sparse and could do better at drawing you in to the personal stories which is what people will really take away. In the main museum, the exhibition on the 1918 flu epidemic has been replaced with a look at where the museums going. Some may like it but I felt it lacked focus and engagement (something the previous exhibition did brilliantly) and felt rushed with very few visitors venturing in (if you're a repeat visitor, the iron lung has been moved in here).

Fascinating collection that really covers so much from wax models to skulls and even tumours. There's an upper level and a lower level. The upper level contains the skull collection and is quite narrow so it can get crowded. They do limit admissions now which has made a big difference. The lower level is a lot more open and is easier to see the exhibits. The exhibits themselves are broadly the same however a few have been removed (there are blue signs all over which do tell you the thought process behind it).

Don't miss the garden area too - it's a lovely little calm space to relax with lots of information on the plants and their medicinal properties! Don't forget the upstairs areas too- there is the historical library and two large rooms used for events and conferences...

Must see. If you are in Philly and have never been there, you really need to stop. It is fascinating, a collection that, at first, seems to be prurient and morbid but, as you explore and think and reflect, becomes very much about the human spirit and the differences that unite is together. I am not a fan of much of the human body. I find its growths and gasses, its oozing and sloughing, its corruptibility and fragility to be off-putting. But, as I looked through the Mütter collection on display, I realized that was more about my own mortality than the sometimes disgusting nature of life, and the fact that we all must acknowledge, live with, and, sometimes, even learn to love the one body and one chance we're given, no matter how strange it may seem to ourselves or others, is truly what shows that, as Don Hertzfeldt writes in "World of Tomorrow," "Now is the envy of all of the dead."

The Mütter Museum is not about death. It is about life. Parking is convenient although, like much of Downtown Philly, not cheap. GPS will lead you right there. Admission is reasonable and the staff stationed throughout the exhibit are friendly and will find the answers to your questions. Quarters are tight so try to time tours around frequent school groups in order to be able to read and think about wherever your interests lie. Oh, yeah, support them as much as you can and save some cash for the small but awesome museum store. And check out every corner, including the restroom hallway. You never know what interesting thing you might find.

Highly recommended for adults...