I think it is important for the Mutter Museum to be open to the public. Some people mentioned in class that it is disrespectful to the bodies of those encased in the museum to be displayed for the public entertainment; however I feel that if these bodies are going to be in a museum it shouldn’t matter if the viewer has a MD, a PHd or neither. The contents of the museum hold educational value that should not be restricted from anyone who finds an interest in it and decides to walk into the museum. It is obvious that some people do in fact view the museum for its entertainment purpose, but education in general I feel has an entertainment value. What entertains one person may entertain AND inspire another. My point is that maybe an average person could walk into the Mutter Museum and see something that completely astonishes them, they could later use that information to do something truly important to the world, or they could not and they could have simly been entertained for a few hours. Either way it shouldn’t matter, if the bodies are in their present condition in the museum it should always be open to the medical community as well as the general public. I think its silly to think that only a member of the medical community could learn from it.
Allison