This is what happens when your Valentine wants to take you somewhere special, but you're kind of into some weird stuff so you end up at a museum of medical oddities. Learning about conjoined twins and shrunken heads may not fit everyone's date list, but I thought that it was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day.
As I'm sure you saw from my stories, Tom and I ended up in Philadelphia this past weekend, which gave us the perfect opportunity to explore the Mütter Museum. This museum is definitely a new favorite of mine. The museum was established back in the mid 1800's as a way to educate the general public about medicine. It's amazing to me that they thought to do this at a time when we knew so little, but in an age where we know so much, it's rare to find exhibits like this. Many of the anatomic and pathologic specimens are the originals and I have to say this place is pretty graphic. Definitely not for the feign of heart. It's also not a place that's dumbed down by any means with all of the exhibits being explained in true medical terminology. I may have shown off a bit with getting to use my medical knowledge to explain the exhibits to husband. Some favorites from the museum that are not to be missed if you ever have a chance to go:
- the plaster model and the actual conjoined liver of the original famed "Siamese twins" Change & Eng
- seeing Einstein's brain sliced and preserved
- the jaw/palatal tumor of President Grover Cleveland---this was of particular interest to this future dentist
What's the most unique museum you've been to?
I've heard of this place and it sounds so freaking cool. I would love to go. I also really want to go to the Museum of Death in NOLA, which sounds so creepy and interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was, though the cool unique factor is secondary to it being a medical museum. You can tell that it really was designed to educate rather than shock. I've never heard of the museum of death, will have to bookmark that bc we are considering NOLA as a possible trip for 2018.
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