BAHS Trip to the Mutter Museum
An enthusiastic group of BAHS students, along with Drs. Hess and Surmacz, headed to Philadelphia on Saturday, March 4 to visit the Mutter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The museum initially opened in 1863 with the contributions of over 1,300 anatomical specimens from Dr. Thomas Mutter, a professor of surgery from Jefferson Medical College. The collection has now grown to include over 25,000 specimens. As described in its motto, Disturbingly Informative, the museum houses a wide range of fascinating and distinct specimens that educate both medical professionals and the public. While exploring the museum's collections, the BAHS group had the opportunity to examine the plaster cast of the torso of the world-famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng, slides of Albert Einstein's brain, a mega colon, the preserved body of the Soap Lady, the tallest skeleton on display in North America, Dr. Chevalier Jackson's collection of 2,000 swallowed objects retrieved from patients, shrunken heads, an interactive exhibit of phantom limbs, and a collection of 139 skulls. The museum featured a special exhibit on hair art, a craft common in the 17th to 19th centuries. Human hair was used to construct everything from wreathes to jewelry as an expression of love or as a keepsake to preserve the memory of a deceased loved one. The BAHS group took on the challenge of the Mutter Museum College Scavenger Hunt. Earning prizes (miniature body parts, of course!) for successful completion of the scaventer hunt were Sarah Baney, Jamie Davis and Alli Ostman. After checking out the gift shop, the group headed back to BU with plenty of "disturbingly informative" stories to tell!