Records of donations and purchases of the Office of the Curator

Collection

Identifier: CPP 7/002-05

Scope and Contents

Volume lists anatomical or pathological specimen, instrument, or book, donor’s names, and brief description of the item, 1886-1906, providing an accession record for the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; items on deposit and purchases are included. Items are occasionally identified by catalogue number or contain citations to descriptions in medical literature. The accession information was compiled by Guy Hinsdale and Ward Brinton, curators of the museum. Many items are laid in the volume, including a 1901 report from the curator and letters of donation or specimen information from physicians J. M. Baldy, Richard A. Cleemann, Daniel Longaker, S. Weir Mitchell, William L. Rodman, and De Forest Willard. Many of these items are contained in a file of letters received by the curator, 1901. Information on the preservation and preparation of specimens is also included.

Dates

1886 - 1906

Creator

Brinton, Ward (Person)

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".