Haunting collection Mysterious giant skeleton. Part of the oldest medical school in the US – the Philadelphia College of Medicine, the Mutter Museum first opened in 1849, possessing many specimens, models, and ancient medical devices that no one else has. unexpected and a large collection of books entitled “The Library of Historical Medicine”. Most of the more than 20,000 specimens on display here are full of horror and haunting, but attractive, attracting viewers because of their mystery. The museum boasts more than 3,000 skeletal specimens, including skeletons and skulls, 1,500 specimens of nearly every part of the body, and the oddest assortment of cysts or tumors. Attracting many visitors is the display of slices of Albert Einstein’s brain; the plaster liver and torso of the famous Thai conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker; a malignant tumor was removed from the palate of President Grover Cleveland; a chest tissue sample of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln; a brain fragment of Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin of President James A. Garfield; and the corpse of the “Soap Lady”, with a layer of fat all over her body, making her look like she was made of soap. In addition, there is a giant colon of a person weighing 18 kg, the widest point is 76cm in diameter, the product of Hirschsprung disease; a wall decorated with 40 sick and traumatized eyeballs; another wall of deformed, deformed skulls, otherwise known as the “Hyrtl Skull Collection”; two-headed human fetus at different stages of development; and a collection of books bound in human skin… Mysterious Skeleton It is thought that this individual was male, probably between 22 and 24 years old at the time of death and had lived in Kentucky. There is evidence that he suffered from acromegaly, which causes abnormal growth of his hands, feet, and face. Characteristics, as well as some indications that this person was bedridden for some time before his death. No one knows these things better, so there’s a lot of debate so far. One of the biggest mysteries at the museum is probably the skeletons. In addition to the skeletons of dwarves, deformed monsters, there is also a specimen called the “American Giant”, which is purposefully placed between the normal-sized human skeleton and the skeleton of a dwarf. . This is the tallest skeleton, 2.28m, belonging to an individual on display in North America. If the spine had no abnormal curvature, this person’s actual height would be more than that. It’s an impressive specimen indeed, but the story of the skeleton’s appearance and true identity remains shrouded in mystery. In 1877, a Professor named AE Foot approached the museum and said there was a giant skeleton for sale in Kentucky. This information caught the interest of Professor Joseph Leidy, who wanted to buy it for the museum. Oddly enough, Foot set the condition that, for the sale to go smoothly, the buyer must not question the origin of the skeleton or why it was sold. This all sounds shady, but Leidy wanted it, needed it, had to have it, so he agreed and went ahead with the deal. So the “American Giant” came to the Mutter Museum, making everyone amazed and amazed so far. Looking for the truth One theory is that this is the remains of a man named James Toller of Huntington, England. Also known as the “Enyesbury Giant”, Toller was 2.47m tall and died at the age of 23. Rumor has it that he was buried under a church and when the church was restored in the 1870s, someone stole the body and brought it to America to sell. At that time, grave stealing was a lucrative business, and corpses were often dug up and sold to medical facilities without being questioned. The problem is that Toller is much taller than the “American Giant” so this hypothesis is difficult to stand. According to another theory, the giant skeleton belongs to a young man named John M. Baker of Caldwell County, Kentucky, who died in 1861 at the age of 20. He is from the same state where the skeleton is for sale, the height is also estimated at 2.28m, so he is said to be the owner of the controversial skeleton. Some even suggested that it was an unusually large inmate in East Bethany-Genesee County, New York state, known simply as “Roy”. If he died in captivity, it could be the subject of nefarious attempts to cash in on his massive skeleton. The problem is, no one is sure how tall Roy really is, and it’s been suggested that he may have died after the “American Giant” skeleton became museum property. The “American Giant” may also be an unknown oversized person, but with people of this size often famous and difficult to live in complete anonymity. Cross-examination of giants who have died over a specified period of time is not difficult, but more than a century later, no one knows who the Mutter Museum’s “American Giants” are. The mystery is still a mystery.

Visitors visit two special skeletons at the Mutter Museum. They belong to people with strange diseases, to this day medicine is still incurable. Rare syndrome These two skeletons belong to people who have had an extremely rare condition, known as the Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, or FOP syndrome. FOP patients have muscles, tendons and ligaments that gradually turn into bones, causing the whole body to become stiff and unable to move. FOP syndrome is so rare that there are only about 700 known cases worldwide. FOP syndrome was first described around the 17th century. Until 2006, researchers discovered that FOP was caused by a mutation in the ACVR1 gene and that the condition could be hereditary. However, in most of the cases detected, FOP patients spontaneously developed genetic mutations, with no family history of the disorder. There is currently no cure for FOP. Normally, when a person dies, the connective tissue that holds the bones together is broken down, the skeleton collapses into a discrete mess. In order to display a human skeleton, usually in museums and laboratory specimens, they must be assembled with fine wire and glue. But the two specimens at the Mutter Museum are naturally fused and adhered skeletons. Carol Orzel in the 1990s. Two typical cases The most famous of these patients is Harry Raymond Eastlack, whose skeleton is on display at the Mutter Museum. Harry Raymond Eastlack was born in 1933 in Philadelphia (USA) with a characteristic defect in the big toe, but obstetricians and obstetricians do not recognize this sign. When he was 4 years old, he was hit by a broken leg in a car while playing on the street with his sister. His injured leg was cast in a cast, but the fracture did not heal completely. Months later, the cast was removed but his leg became inflamed and swollen. Before long, Harry found it difficult to move his hips and knees. An X-ray showed that the bones in the boy’s thigh were abnormally developed. The abnormality then spreads along the back, neck, and chest. Harry underwent 11 surgeries in total, but these invasive procedures only exacerbated the boy’s condition as the body attempted to “repair” the damaged tissue with more bones. Despite suffering from a strange illness, Harry still had a relatively happy childhood. Like friends of the same age, he listens to music on the radio, reads books, plays cards with his sister and often goes to the movies. At the Hamilton Theater in Philadelphia, Harry has a special seat in the middle of the 7th row, which can recline and straighten legs. When Harry’s condition worsens, he has more difficulty with daily activities and needs help with toileting, eating, and dressing. At the age of 15, Harry’s jaws got stuck, preventing him from eating solid food and talking with clenched teeth. He had difficulty sitting, as the hips were one of the first motionless parts. Before long, the bone forms through the upper arm and extends onto the sternum, pressing the arm to the chest. Bone fragments stretched down his back and the bones extending from there to the skull caused his neck and head to “lock” hard. The skeleton of Harry Raymond Eastlack seen from behind. Over the years, new bone growth caused his pelvis and thighs to form. One time, Harry accidentally bumped his butt into the fireplace, leaving a bruise, then the smooth tissue there was destroyed, making room for new bones to form. In the end, the boy’s movements remained only in the eyes, lips, and tongue. Harry died in 1973, just six days before his 40th birthday. Near his death, Harry told his sister that he wanted to donate his body and medical records to medicine to study and learn more about the disease. In 2018, Harry Eastlack’s skeleton was combined with another skeleton, belonging to Carol Orzel, who also suffered from FOP, on display. Carol was born also in Philadelphia, in 1959. With FOP, she needs help with eating and dressing because she cannot bend her elbows. Despite her disability, Carol enjoys painting and drawing with a stick-like medium that replaces her motionless elbows, wrists, fingers and neck. She paints the landscape and makes a very beautiful greeting card. This stick also helps her to put on makeup. Carol loves fashion and has a spacious wardrobe that has been modified for convenience, making it easy for her to take them out and wear. Carol died in a nursing home, where Harry spent his final years. She also decided to donate after learning about Harry and seeing his skeleton at the Mutter Museum. Currently, both Harry and Carol’s skeletons are recognized as invaluable artifacts in FOP research.