1864 Catalog of the Mütter Museum

Collection

Identifier: CPP 7/002-02

Scope and Contents

Catalogue of museum specimens compiled by curator, Thomas G. Morton, in 1864, following the acquisition of the pathological and anatomical collections of Thomas D. Mütter by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The catalogue entries are numbered sequentially, 1-491, and are sorted roughly by type of specimen with brief distinguishing remarks.

Dates

1864

Creator

College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Office of the Curator (Organization)

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".

Thomas G. Morton compiled a simple catalogue of the Mütter Museum in 1864, following the College’s acquisition of the collections. In 1884, Guy Hinsdale began compilation of the first comprehensive catalogue of the museum’s holdings; a typescript version was made in 1940-1941. A simplified published catalogue appeared in the Transactions and studies of the College of Physician of Philadelphia from 1947 to 1949.