text: seven walking tours through historic Philadelphia

Mutter Museum

Mutter museum exterior

Founded in 1787, the world-famous Mutter Museum is run by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Named for Dr. Thomas Mutter, this fantastic collection of medical curiosities is not for the faint-hearted. Among the rarities exhibited are part of President Grover Cleveland's jawbone. There are bones shattered by bullets, others showing wounds, breaks, etc., and skulls bearing the personal data and medical history of their owners. Particularly fascinating is a cast of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, who were sixty-three at the time of their death in 1874. The chair they used is here, a pathetic small wooden one, and their liver has been preserved in a jar. An entire drawer is devoted to buttons, coins, and other objects that have been retrieved from human stomachs.

Official Mutter Museum Website



Rittenhouse Square