A unique collection of skulls started by an Austrian anatomist is now up for adoption. If you want to preserve something as exquisite as this, it’s time you adopt a skull.
Originally, the skulls were collected by Joseph Hyrtl, an Austrian scientist born in 1810. He studied medicine in the Austrian capital of Vienna and then started collecting the skulls that now total 139. Each skull has an information on the identity of the person and how he or she died.
Hyrtl’s goal in gathering the skulls was to establish a comparative anatomy as a science. He also wanted to debunk the link between a person’s character and the shape of his brain or what is known as phrenology. Being a devout Catholic, Hyrtl strongly believed that the mind and the brain were part of God’s plan and had nothing to do with the size of one’s skull.
The skulls collected by the Austrian anatomist included those of artists, poets and medical professionals as well as other interesting personalities. In fact, it is believed that Hyrtl even had the bones of some Austrian composers such as Wolfgang Mozart and Franz Schubert. However, the skulls of these world renowned composers are not available for adoption.
Apart from the bones of humans, Hyrtl also owned 800 fish skeletons and more than 300 organs of hearing from different animals.
The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia now owns the collection and the management saw it fit to launch a campaign allowing people to sponsor a skull. By adopting a skull, the sponsors will be able to help preserve the collection for another 100 years.
People who would like to adopt a skull will have to pay a yearly fee of $200 and their names will be written in a small plaque next to their adopted skull in the Mutter Museum. The fee will be used in the cleaning, restoration and remounting process for the skull.
The skulls have been in the Philadelphia museum since 1874. They belonged to 14 women and the rest to men with ages ranging from 8 to 80. Many of them died in jails or from suicide and execution.
