Museum-a-Month: The Mütter Museum
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I finally got to check out The Mütter Museum. Given my love of museums and my boyfriend’s background in the medical field, it was the perfect combination of our interests. The building itself is gorgeous and really speaks to the history in which it contains as soon as you arrive.
I figured that photography wouldn’t be allowed within the museum itself, as that would be disrespectful to those who donated their bodies to science, but I was surprised in the way the museum wanted visitors to engage on social. There was a selfie-booth style photo op upon entry, along with hashtag placement. The intent to still share your experience was there and I really appreciated the creative angle they took to address the photography challenge.
The outdoor Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden was a gorgeous and informative first stop on our visit. It was started by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and maintained by students at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia since 1787 to fill their medicinal cabinets. It was enlightening to read about what some household herbs could be used to treat different symptoms.
The exterior of the building hosts a banner which reads “Disturbingly Informative” and I honestly can’t think of a better tagline for the contents of the exhibitions. From eye ailments to disease replicas, to actual specimens of scoliosis and other deformities, the experience was equal parts disturbing and informative.
From the informative side of the exhibits, I was struck by a posted placard near the start of the exhibits. It read something to the effect of “Our current labels were written from a 19th-century perspective and we are working to update them to be more inclusive of the patient’s history and interpretive of the medical field at large.” I found this to be such a transparent way to acknowledge the older copy and phrases that are often found in museums. The layout of the museum is dated, yet functional, and I think the same can be said about the information cards. You do learn as you weave through the museum, but there is a very linear approach to how the exhibits are laid out and deviating from the set path can cause you to miss information. The text and exhibits are also small and cramped behind glass panels…so even with my corrected vision…it was hard to read and understand what was going on. All this to say — the museum acknowledges this and is working to update where they can, which I find admirable and makes me want to return.
As for the highlights of the exhibits, I was fascinated by the Chevalier Jackson Collection. This collection contains more than 2,000 objects that patients had swallowed, and then Dr. Chevalier Jackson removed. The items are all laid out in a series of drawers and you can see what bizarre things people decided to ingest. I’m extremely thankful to a security guard who pointed it out as I was looking at a giant colon (I know…gross). She was right — the things in those drawers were far more interesting!
There was one digital display that I wished I had more time to investigate. I visited on a Saturday and knew the museum would be busy, so I didn’t linger in front of it. I was happy to see that the display was a large tablet-style version of the Momento Mütter online exhibit. Since all the collection items are behind glass, it was hard to fully see what they were and interpret their significance. I enjoyed this digital display since it allows you to dive deeper into items that you may be fascinated by at your own pace. I only wish I had been able to do this in the museum itself!
All in all, the Mütter Museum was a fascinating way to spend our Saturday afternoon. It prompted a great discussion between my boyfriend and me about the importance of medical collections not only for public education but also for medical students to learn more about the field. The Mütter Museum houses an expansive collection that serves to educate and has endured over centuries to fulfill that very mission. It’s in no way the most state-of-the-art museum I’ve ever visited, but that makes me like it more. Getting back to basics about education and adding digital pieces only where it enhances the experience is always a great way to check my love of technology and remind me why I find museums so very special at their core.
