A Message to Our Community:
You may have heard that The College of Physicians, which includes the Mütter Museum and the Historical Medical Library, is in the midst of an institution-wide review of its online content. This decision has created controversy and a fair amount of misinformation, particularly with respect to our decision to temporarily remove most of the Mütter’s YouTube video content.
First, we stress again that the removals are temporary, pending the completion of a review by a panel of experts who will offer guidance about whether the videos serve the mission of the College and the Mütter–that is, to facilitate health and well-being–and whether they meet best practices on the respectful exhibition of human remains. We anticipate that many of the videos will return once the review is completed, which likely will be this Summer.
Our goal is to improve the visitor experience both in-house and online, while also honoring best practices in the ethical and respectful display of the human remains in our collection.
We appreciate your patience during this period, and we thank you for your continued support of the Mütter and the College.
Sincerely,
Kate Quinn
Executive Director, Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library
and
Mira Irons, MD
President and CEO, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia