The Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is offering a unique opportunity that most gift guides won’t mention: the chance to sponsor one of its historic skulls. These more than 150-year-old skulls are part of a rare and fascinating collection of medical history, and the museum’s sponsorship program lets supporters help preserve them for future generations.
By becoming a sponsor, you can adopt one of the 139 Hyrtl Skulls in the museum’s collection. Sponsorship is available through an annual subscription of $200. Contributions help cover the costs of conservation work, including cleaning, repair, and remounting of the chosen skull. Each sponsor’s support will be recognized on the skull mount within the permanent Hyrtl Skull Exhibit, preserving both the artifact and the story behind it.
Although these skulls have been in the museum’s collection since 1874, many remain available for adoption. The collection reflects a wide spectrum of lives and deaths—sailors, soldiers, laborers, and others—documenting a range of ages from children to the elderly. Only 14 of the skulls are identified as female, and many individuals represented in the set died in poorhouses, jails, or by suicide or execution.
Among the documented individuals are Anton Mikschik, a 17-year-old Moravian shoemaker’s apprentice who took his own life after being caught stealing; Maria Falkensteiner, a 22-year-old Tyrolean maidservant who died of meningitis; and Joska Soltesz, a 28-year-old Hungarian soldier and reformist who died of pneumonia. These names and brief biographies serve to humanize the collection and remind visitors that each skull represents a life and a story.
Supporting the Hyrtl Skull sponsorship program does more than preserve anatomical specimens: it helps the museum maintain an educational resource that encourages reflection on medical history, social conditions, and the human experiences behind preserved remains. For collectors of unusual history or anyone interested in the macabre and the scientific, adopting a skull can make an unconventional and meaningful gift.
If you’re intrigued by medical history or know someone who would appreciate a grisly but thoughtful present, consider sponsoring a skull at the Mütter Museum. Your support helps conserve these historic artifacts and keeps the museum’s mission alive for researchers, students, and curious visitors.