in the Mutter Museum

 Its been a busy few days - and, as I suspected, staying in a hostel is not condusive to research - or, indeed, blog writing! However, it is situated in the historic old town, so has been very condusive to wandering about in the warm evenings admiring the architecture. Theres a wonderful art shop across the road.

As for the Mutter - I found I was expected and had a badge all ready for me. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The expectation is that I would be spending my time in the College of Physicians library, but have spent a few hours exploring the collection, which is a wonderful and diverse as I expected. It is perhaps not as wide ranging, in terms of comparative anatomy, as the Hunterian, but is certainly more thoughtfully curated than the equally wonderful Dupuytren. The exhibits combine elements of instruction, wonder, and revulsion in equal measure. I look forward to spending more time in the body of the museum next week.

I have been browsing, in a slightly random fashion, the books in the medical library, and using the time there to begin drafting a paper I am writing for an upcoming conference - monsters and the monstrous. I hope to use my time exporing the museums teratological specimens as well as its books to inspire my writing. Next week, I have a meeting with the curator, to hopefully get behind the scenes and see other parts of the collection.

Interestingly, having been in the Hunterian the week before, I came across the death mask of Hunter in a cabinet in the Mutter. When in the Hunterian I was fascinated by a death mask of Newton. And this afternoon I was invited to accompany a group from the Mutter visiting another museum - the Rosenbach - where I came across, in the library, the death mask of James Joyce.... who had been a student of the School of Medicine in Paris which houses the Musée Dupuytren.