The Mütter Museum launches new collections database, without images of human remains like Einstein’s brain

The Mütter Museum has launched a new searchable online database of its collection of historical medical equipment and anatomical specimens that will be free to researchers and the public alike.

Mütter officials say this database is a comprehensive compilation that makes the museum’s collection easier than ever to access. Previously, the museum’s online presence included virtual exhibits and hundreds of YouTube videos. The Mütter, which is run by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, came under fire when those materials were abruptly taken down in January for a content review.

The new database contains more than 20,000 records and photographs, including 5,100 high-resolution photos not previously available.

Missing from the database, however, are images of the collection displaying human remains, including anatomical specimens that made the Mütter famous, such as slides of Albert Einstein’s brain, the nine-foot-long mega colon, and the livers of conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker. Records of the specimens appear in the database solely listing catalogue information.

“Out of respect for the human remains in our care, their images will not be shown,” said a statement from the Mütter announcing the database.

What will be available includes medical instruments, anatomical models, artwork, medical memorabilia, photographs, and other materials. The database will be updated as the museum adds to its collection.

A Mütter spokesperson said the museum has nearly 30,000 objects in its collection, “of which only about 6,600 are human biological specimens, whose images will not be available.”

The exclusion is a sign of the ongoing debate about human remains and their place in medical history museums like the Mütter. For the Mütter, the debate is also one about the very identity of this particularly unique Philadelphia institution.

Earlier this year, the museum removed nearly all of its online content, including most of its popular YouTube channel and online exhibits. The move prompted donors like Robert Pendarvis (who donated his enlarged heart), former staffers, and devoted followers to complain about limiting access to the museum’s resources and accuse museum leadership of a lack of transparency.

Mütter executive director Kate Quinn said they were conducting an institution-wide review of the collection and its online presence, with a particular eye toward how the museum dealt with human remains. More than 100 videos have since been restored, but the review of those materials is not complete, and Mütter’s full collection audit is expected to continue for a few more years, according to a spokesperson. It’s unknown how the results may change what’s on view at the physical museum.

The Mütter also announced that the new database will include “feedback from a series of robust focus group discussions with active researchers as well as members of the Museum’s neighboring predominantly Black community of Mantua.”

According to the statement, those discussions were meant to gather information about how people do or do not access the museum’s collections with the goal of expanding the museum’s audience. Summaries of those discussions have also been posted on the museum’s website.

“This is an important milestone for the Mütter Museum, as we bring our offerings in-line with peer institutions worldwide,” said Quinn. “This new database, our recent storage renovation, and the ongoing collections audit work in tandem to bring our collection into a new era of transparency for researchers and the public.”

The Mütter had allowed its collection to be accessed by researchers in the past, though the collection had been closed to requests for about a year. A museum spokesperson estimated the Mütter and the library usually get about 100 research requests annually.

“As medical professionals, our Fellowship knows firsthand the importance of sharing information in an accessible way,” said Mira Irons, president and CEO of the College of Physicians in a statement. “While the items in our collection address the fascinating history of medicine, they also can unlock new discoveries that can help people today.”