While we are all following the orders to shelter in place during the Corona Virus outbreak of 2020, this seems a good time to share information about the Fellows of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Founded in 1787, it is still active today through their Mutter Museum and Historical Medical Library.
Their popular Mutter Museum in Philadelphia has fascinating exhibits including a current one entitled “Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia” which will be on exhibit through the fall of 2024.
The exhibit explores how neighborhoods in Philadelphia were impacted. There are several articles on their site which you can read about if you are interested. At this time of our own pandemic in the Philadelphia area, I will leave up to the individual reader of this blog how deep into the pandemic of 100 years ago you prefer to delve. On their site you can also read about how in 2017 the college began to research the preparedness of Philadelphia to react to a pandemic that was not limited just to flu but also to Ebola and Covid-19. Another exhibit at the museum is “Going Viral’ which examines the intersection of disease and environment through the lens of three major theories of infection—humoral, miasma, and germs—and encourages visitors to ask themselves: what’s making me sick?
The Mutter Museum offers many more exhibits on view including a plaster cast of the torsos and the liver of Chang and Eng, conjoined twins who were originally called Siamese Twins so named because they were from Thailand. If you are a fan of “Inked” an exhibit about tattoos and the nature of our skin is available. Did you know that Dr. C. Everett Koop pioneered techniques for separating conjoined twins? In addition, there is a collection of 139 human skulls among their floors of medical oddities.
Many of the physicians who contributed to the science of medicine are buried at The Woodlands, a magnificent home built by William Hamilton in 1786. It is located just west of Philadelphia in what is now called the University District and was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006. The grounds are still open during this time for you to enjoy and, in fact, they have shared an online digital driving tour.
Once you are ready to travel again, check out Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast in the Brandywine Valley. When we reopen (probably the middle of May) we have put into place several steps to make sure our guests continue in good health. First, we have two stand alone cottages where you will have absolutely no contact with us or other guests. We are not booking the cottage for four days after a check out by a previous guest so we are sure the cottage is safe for both our housekeepers and our guests. Should you desire to stay in the main house, we are only going to open up 50% of our rooms in the beginning. You can have your breakfast delivered to your room if you choose. Our dining room is large enough and has two table to enable you to continue exercising the 6 feet social distancing. In addition, we have two table outside on our terrace. So check out our rooms and feel safe in booking your next visit to us. Or call us to find out what attractions have opened.