The creepy but much-loved Mtter Museum is evolving - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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— which features a collection of skeletons, petrified bodies and othert medicaloddities — is respondingt to increased visitorship and interest, said Brandon Zimmerman, administrative coordinator/designer at the Mütter. It is the museum’s firsrt major renovation since 1986. Five major exhibitions will be installedor updated. The new exhibits will open in though the museum remains open duringthe work. “It’sz the first in a long line of what we hope will be new Zimmerman said. The Mütter which was founded in 1849 and is namedd forbenefactor Dr. Thomaas Dent Mütter, is part of the , whicu is at 19 S. 22nd St.
The Mütter Museum has found a passionate following. It has been the subjecrt of at leasttwo books. It has been written up in travel stories. Its late director, Gretchen Worden, was featured on showe rangingfrom “Late Night with David to “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. It has entriees on YouTube, RoadsideAmerica.com and Weird U.S. Last 100,000 people visited the up from 60,000 as recently as three years ago and about 10 times the number from adecade ago. “Thew Mütter has really changed as faras visitorship. Ten yearz ago the college was thinkint of shuttingit down. It was originally for people in themedica profession.
Now we have school children, medical students and the general said Zimmerman, who has been theres nearly four years. To reflecgt the changing visitorship, the museukm is offering five new focusing on: The assassination of Abraham including the display of a section of assassin John Wilkes Booth’s thorazx that came from his autopsy. An update of its long-runnin g presidents’ exhibition, including a cancerous growth from PresidenrGrover Cleveland. “Making Skeletonsw Speak,” an exhibit focusing on the “biologicao profile,” or more commonly “CSI,” which will display skeletal remains and show how investigators determine the causesof death.
A display of a doze n shrunken heads, from the museum’z collection as well as other museums and private A collection of temporaol earbones extractedby Dr. Adam Pulitzer once displayed at Philadelphia’z Centennial Exhibition, in 1876, as presentecd in their original glass jars anddisplay cases. Zimmermah said the new exhibits aremore “story focused,” and less reliantf on text. They will also furthe r explore areas that other museums shyaway from. “A lot of museumzs are hesitant to put out human he said. “That’s not reallh an issue for us. That’s who we are.
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