Thought for the Day--April 22, 2011: Mutter Museum, The Mint, and Poe House in Philadelphia
The cellar where Edgar Allan Poe wrote many of his works __________________ I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. --Edgar Allan Poe Yesterday, my husband and I took a day trip to Philadelphia. For years, I had it in my head that I just had to see the Mutter Museum. Okay, done that, don't want to do it again. What a surreal experience--viewing all those damaged fetuses in jars was kind of upsetting, and there seemed to be a faint smell of formaldehyde in the air (or maybe it was my imagination?). Also, it was kind of warm in the museum, so I was feeling a bit off, like maybe I might pass out. Well, I didn't, but someone else did; evidently, this is a fairly common occurrence at this museum. I do not mean to be disrespectful. After all, this museum offers an important collection of abnormal physical oddities, which occur in nature and shouldn't be swept under the rug and denied. Also, this museum was set up in 1787 by The College of Physicians to advance th