The Mütter Museum: Education, Preservation, and Commemoration
Authors: Erin H. McLeary
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Medical Writings4 April 2000The Mütter Museum: Education, Preservation, and CommemorationErin H. McLeary, MDErin H. McLeary, MDUniversity of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (McLeary)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-132-7-200004040-00033 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In the mid-19th century, Austrian anatomist Joseph Hyrtl began to collect skulls: skulls from every ethnic group in Eastern Europe, skulls of robbers and of prostitutes, skulls of men killed by violence and men killed by grief. These skulls were more than an impressive demonstration of ethnic variation. The skull collection, along with Hyrtl's other anatomical preparations—microscopic injections of lymphatics and comparative anatomy collections—was a source of income for the anatomist. Like many vendors of unique wares, Hyrtl advertised and issued catalogs, some of which made their way to the United States. In 1874, Philadelphia physician Thomas Hewson Bache traveled ...References1. Worden G. The Hyrtl skull collection. Trans Stud Coll Physicians Phila. 1995;17:95-113. Google Scholar2. Krumbhaar EB. The early history of anatomy in the United States. Annals of Medical History. 1922;4:272-85. Google Scholar3. Flexner A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada. New York: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; 1910. Google Scholar4. Stevens R. American Medicine and the Public Interest: A History of Specialization. Berkeley: Univ of California Pr; 1971. Google Scholar5. Daukes S. The Medical Museum: Modern Developments, Organisation and Technical Methods, Based on a New System of Visual Teaching. London: Wellcome Foundation; 1929. Google Scholar6. www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible Google Scholar7. Billings JS. On medical museums, with special reference to the Army Medical Museum. The Medical News. 1888;53:309-16. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Erin H. McLeary, MDAffiliations: University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (McLeary)Grant Support: By the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship and Francis C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine Resident Research Fellowship.Corresponding Author: Erin McLeary, Department of History and Sociology of Science, 303 Logan Hall, 249 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThomas Dent Mütter, M.D. (1811 to 1859): Exemplar of ExpertiseAristotle, Buddhist scripture and embryology in ancient Mexico: building inclusion by re-thinking what counts as the history of developmental biologySchwestergesellschaften der Gesellschaft der Ärzte diesseits und jenseits des Atlantiks 4 April 2000Volume 132, Issue 7Page: 599-603KeywordsClinical pathologyHistory of medicineLibrariesMedical educationPathologistsPrevention, policy, and public healthResearch laboratoriesSkeletonSkullSurgeons ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 4 April 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...