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Mütter Museum: Historic Medical Photographs
The first book on the Mütter Museum contain artful images of the museum's fascinating exhibits shot by contemporary fine art photographers.
Here, the focus is on the museum’s archive of rare historic photographs, most of which have never been seen by the public. Featured are poignant, aesthetically accomplished works ranging from Civil War photographs showing injury and recovery, to the ravages of diseases not yet conquered in the 19th century, to pathological anomalies, to psychological disorders.
Many were taken by talented photographers between the 1860s and the 1940s as records for physicians to share among colleagues and to track patients’ conditions, and demonstrate various techniques used in medical photography including the daguerreotype, micrography, X ray, and traditional portrait-style photography.
As visual documents of what humans endured in the face of limited medical knowledge, these extraordinary and haunting photographs demonstrate how far medicine has advanced.
Here, the focus is on the museum’s archive of rare historic photographs, most of which have never been seen by the public. Featured are poignant, aesthetically accomplished works ranging from Civil War photographs showing injury and recovery, to the ravages of diseases not yet conquered in the 19th century, to pathological anomalies, to psychological disorders.
Many were taken by talented photographers between the 1860s and the 1940s as records for physicians to share among colleagues and to track patients’ conditions, and demonstrate various techniques used in medical photography including the daguerreotype, micrography, X ray, and traditional portrait-style photography.
As visual documents of what humans endured in the face of limited medical knowledge, these extraordinary and haunting photographs demonstrate how far medicine has advanced.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published November 28, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 3, 2009
Few books can make you feel happier to be alive than to gaze upon this loving collection of nineteenth century deformities and monstrosities. First off, you're far removed from their direct experience (thereby erasing guilt). Secondly, you're much more normal and self-possessed than these freakazoids, especially as they're getting shamed by the lengthy shutter speeds of male-gazing doctor-photographers.
I'm half-kidding about that last bit, of course: this is all very sad, sublime, strange, no matter how many Jim Foetus or AxCx promotional materials have co-opted it. You'll never forget the before-and-after images of that 200-pound ovarian tumor, for example. Or the various teratoforms which obviously look like demons (cf. the sirenomelus and the cyclocephalus). Or the gruesome Civil War injuries which remind us that plastic surgery began as a noble effort to, y'know, put people's faces back upon their skulls.
Those of us who are cynical about the psychological sciences will be amused by the five (5) pages devoted to "psychological disorder": a single photo of Charles Guiteau's brain, and three pics of two vaguely alarmed-looking women. (Remember: psychology began with that ridiculous "hysteria" business.)
Last, but not least, behold the "precocious sexual development in a four-year-old boy" (wherein a doctor holds the squirming boy on his lap in order to display them remarkable genitals) and "congenital hypertrophy of the clitoris" (my earliest memory of this alluring photo consists of lolling about on the apartment floor, flipping through one of my mom's nursing textbooks... at age four).
A wonderful collection. My only suggestion is that perhaps some of the all-too brief captions could have been expanded by modern medical insights, however daffy they might be.
I'm half-kidding about that last bit, of course: this is all very sad, sublime, strange, no matter how many Jim Foetus or AxCx promotional materials have co-opted it. You'll never forget the before-and-after images of that 200-pound ovarian tumor, for example. Or the various teratoforms which obviously look like demons (cf. the sirenomelus and the cyclocephalus). Or the gruesome Civil War injuries which remind us that plastic surgery began as a noble effort to, y'know, put people's faces back upon their skulls.
Those of us who are cynical about the psychological sciences will be amused by the five (5) pages devoted to "psychological disorder": a single photo of Charles Guiteau's brain, and three pics of two vaguely alarmed-looking women. (Remember: psychology began with that ridiculous "hysteria" business.)
Last, but not least, behold the "precocious sexual development in a four-year-old boy" (wherein a doctor holds the squirming boy on his lap in order to display them remarkable genitals) and "congenital hypertrophy of the clitoris" (my earliest memory of this alluring photo consists of lolling about on the apartment floor, flipping through one of my mom's nursing textbooks... at age four).
A wonderful collection. My only suggestion is that perhaps some of the all-too brief captions could have been expanded by modern medical insights, however daffy they might be.
November 28, 2011
A lovely photo book from one of my favorite museums. This book concentrates on the photographs which could be considered groundbreaking, rather than purely a physical record.
The only thing I found lacking was an explanation of the medical conditions displayed. As this book is for a general audience rather than medical professionals, I would have preferred a few sentences of explanatory text about the condition shown rather than just, say, "severe congenital equinus deformity".
The only thing I found lacking was an explanation of the medical conditions displayed. As this book is for a general audience rather than medical professionals, I would have preferred a few sentences of explanatory text about the condition shown rather than just, say, "severe congenital equinus deformity".
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May 16, 2013So if you’re thinking to yourself, “Self, I really wish I had a gigantic coffee-table book of sepia photos of people with cannon-ball-related war wounds and hideous eyeball cysts,” then DO I HAVE THE BOOK FOR YOU! Mütter Museum: Historic Medical Photographs is a fantastically interesting book of medical pictures taken just as photography was becoming a Thing. Plastic surgery was just becoming a Thing at the same time, along with a lot of other surgical techniques that the book documents. And as an added bonus, it shows how early photographers tried to model their images—no matter how horrible—on famous painting poses. Which I thought was fascinating. It’s a holiday treat for almost everyone!!!
July 24, 2025
Great collection of vintage medical photos!
May 8, 2021
A lovely pairing of rich history and astonishing photography from the world famous Mutter Museum. Discusses the simultaneous development of medical and photographic technology and its scholarly uses.
If you like displaying coffee table books open to conversation-starting pictures, this oversize volume is well worth purchasing. (I know Blanche Dumas will always haunt my imagination. Thanks Mutter!)
If you like displaying coffee table books open to conversation-starting pictures, this oversize volume is well worth purchasing. (I know Blanche Dumas will always haunt my imagination. Thanks Mutter!)
September 6, 2011
I thought the photographs were great. I would have like more, but I guess I'll have to go to the museum.
April 29, 2023
This book contains a selection from the collection of old photographs of patients with varying medical conditions —burns, tumors, parasitic twin, etc… (More photos than are published in this book were given to the Mütter museum by multiple people.)
I was mislead in thinking that THIS was a book of photographs of actual items in the museum, and thus my expectations were not met, which is why I rate this as average book.
Regardless, this is still a wonderful book in the sense that the photos within give us a glimpse into what was considered bizarre back in the day. Perhaps people might still consider such people “monsters,” although I do not hold to that title.
Having worked in the medical field for over a decade, I found the photos informative and emotive. They are a standing memorial to the bravery of these patients willing to be photographed; and they are immortalized as such within this book as well as in the collection of photos at the Mütter.
I was mislead in thinking that THIS was a book of photographs of actual items in the museum, and thus my expectations were not met, which is why I rate this as average book.
Regardless, this is still a wonderful book in the sense that the photos within give us a glimpse into what was considered bizarre back in the day. Perhaps people might still consider such people “monsters,” although I do not hold to that title.
Having worked in the medical field for over a decade, I found the photos informative and emotive. They are a standing memorial to the bravery of these patients willing to be photographed; and they are immortalized as such within this book as well as in the collection of photos at the Mütter.
July 3, 2019
Sometimes I find a history of medicine can illuminate the modern medicine I work in. This book was extremely helpful to see some of the conditions I see in my work as they would appear without modern medical intervention. Body processes become more clear in these photographs.
November 16, 2019
The photographs were very interesting but there is a lot of emphasis on who took the photo and when. I would have liked more information on the deformities and diseases I was looking at (in base level terms and not complex medical terms).
Overall, it was still interesting.
Overall, it was still interesting.
March 29, 2018
Wow! And also wow.
October 22, 2018
Creepy and wonderful. So grateful to live in a time with vaccines and vitamins.
March 10, 2021
Absolument fantastique! C'est beau de voir comment la médecine a pu évoluer avec le temps
September 6, 2024
I wish there was more discussion about the pictures and conditions they show, but it's quite a collection.
October 2, 2024
This book is exactly what it says it is. There were some interesting photos displaying a range of human pathologies. Fine for a one time read but nothing truly memorable.
August 31, 2022
So hard to decide about what to do with human remains in museums.
August 20, 2021
Plot: Photographs from the Mütter collection
Likes: The photographs were very cool to look at.
Dislikes:. Some of the photographs were harder to make out and the captions didn’t expand on things as much as they could have.
December 6, 2013
Wow. This book is incredible. It's a collection of medical photographs, many taken from the beginning days of photography, illustrating a variety of unusual medical diseases. It's absolutely heartbreaking. Only a couple photographs have information on what happened to the patient, but you can infer by many of them the outcome.
This book has very slight commentary, which was disappointing but not entirely unexpected. Some of the photographs have information on where case studies were published if one wants to look it up. It's not a book I would want to own, I'd want something with a little more information in it (this is why I'm only rating it 3 stars, btw). However it's a fascinating historical collection and worth trying to get through your library if you're interested in medical history. The introduction, which quickly chronicles the history of photography in medicine, was interesting but very brief. Keep in mind that most of the images are quite graphic. And oh lordy am I glad I live in this age of medicine.
This book has very slight commentary, which was disappointing but not entirely unexpected. Some of the photographs have information on where case studies were published if one wants to look it up. It's not a book I would want to own, I'd want something with a little more information in it (this is why I'm only rating it 3 stars, btw). However it's a fascinating historical collection and worth trying to get through your library if you're interested in medical history. The introduction, which quickly chronicles the history of photography in medicine, was interesting but very brief. Keep in mind that most of the images are quite graphic. And oh lordy am I glad I live in this age of medicine.
April 15, 2010
Meh. This was a little disappointing. Some of the photographs were stunning, both in an artistic sense and in a oh-god-I-am-so-going-to-have-nightmares-tonight sense. But there was some repetition -- several photographs were of the same thing, taken from different angles. And some of them didn't make a lot of sense. For example, they had one picture captioned something like "skeleton of infant with club feet" but the skeleton was from the knees upward; you couldn't see the feet.
I would recommend this only to people who already have an interest in medical photography.
I would recommend this only to people who already have an interest in medical photography.
September 8, 2012
I wasn't sure what to expect from a book showing medical oddities of the past. I was afraid it would be a combination of sideshow acts and old-fashioned treatment disasters. Instead, it was filled with people living relatively normal lives until they were impacted by a random disease, or children born with disorders I didn't know existed. I was also surprised to learn that I had vastly underestimated the ability of doctors to diagnose and treat ailments 100 years ago, particularly the examples of war wounds and treatment.
March 14, 2016
This is a must read for anyone fascinated by the medical profession, has a morbid fascination with deformities, or just has a natural curiosity for anything weird or out of the ordinary. I like all three, and I am fascinated by the Mutter Museum.
The photographs in this book showcase medical anomalies ranging from conjoined twins (as shown on the cover) to abnormal tumors and diseases. The photographs are from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. It even shows fetal anomalies and amputations.
Very informational!
The photographs in this book showcase medical anomalies ranging from conjoined twins (as shown on the cover) to abnormal tumors and diseases. The photographs are from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. It even shows fetal anomalies and amputations.
Very informational!
January 31, 2024
What a fascinating collection of photographs! I'm normally not squeamish with these things but there were a few that even made me gasp outloud. Makes me wonder what the rest of the museum holds. If I ever get to Philadelphia, I'll have to check it out.
January 4, 2013
I found this book fascinating, not only of how the human body can go horribly wrong, but in how the use of photography dated so far back as a study aid. I was also impressed with medical treatments and surgeries going way, way back. There was more knowledge and ability than I would have thought.
January 9, 2008
This book has the creepiest pictures for anyone into human deformities.
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May 21, 2008i thought that this book was going to include photographs of skeletons and artifacts but they were very personal and intense personal accounts of rare diseases/accidents with physical consequences.
August 31, 2008
Lots of information on medical anomalies - I would really love to visit this place next time I'm in Philadelphia.
October 3, 2008
Very interesting.
May 2, 2011
Fascinating! I am glad I am alive and kicking!
October 18, 2011
A definite keeper "my favorites" shelf.
March 8, 2012
I can be a little spooky and strange, but I'm not that spooky and strange. I also found this impressive collection to simply be too sad.
November 4, 2012
Not for the feint of heart or the weak of stomach.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews