Donations to the Pathological Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Collection

Identifier: CPP 7/002-04

Scope and Contents

Volume lists donors and anatomical or pathological specimens or surgical instruments with tag or catalogue numbers, 1866 Feb. 3-1885 June 13, providing an accession record for the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; occasional case histories or surgical procedure information, provenance information, references to medical literature, and notes on disposition are included. Information on purchases and deposits is also included. The volume was compiled primarily by Thomas Hewson Bache and Guy Hinsdale, curators of the Mütter Museum, but there are several holograph letters of donation from, notably, Walter F. Atlee, Samuel Weissell Gross, J. J. Hull, William W. Keen, and John H. Packard. There are lengthy descriptions of cases and specimens of Chinese bound feet, a scrotal hernia, laryngeal tumors, and urinary calculi. Several examples of old specimen labels are included.

Dates

1866 - 1885

Creator

Bache, Thomas Hewson (Person)

Biographical / Historical

The office of curator of the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was established in 1863, following the agreement made by the College with Thomas D. Mütter in 1858. This was originally an elective College office which carried a salary of $300 provided by the Mütter Trust. The first curator of the Mütter Museum, Thomas G. Morton, had been curator of the College’s Pathological Cabinet, which was absorbed into the museum. The 1863 by-laws of the College state that the curator was an ex officio member of the Committee on the Mütter Museum. His duties included preparation and labelling of specimens; general care of the museum; and maintenance of a catalogue and records for each specimen. From 1870 to 1914, the curator was required to report on new donations to the museum at meetings of the College. The 1886 by-laws provided for the annual nomination of the curator, who was not required to be a Fellow of the College, by the Committee on the Mütter Museum. The appointment was then made by the College. In 1935, the Committee on College Collections nominated a Custodian to Council; this office was to be filled by the museum’s curator. In 1988, the title of "Curator of the Mütter Museum" was changed to "Director".

Extent

1 volume

Language of Materials

English

Subjects

Record Groups

- CPP 7. Records of the Mütter Museum

Related Names

Creator

Bache, Thomas Hewson (Person)
College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Office of the Curator (Organization)
Hinsdale, Guy (Person)

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Donations to the Pathological Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Language of description: Undetermined
Script of description: Code for undetermined script