To be submitted to the Board of Trustees of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia:

We, the undersigned; the friends, fans, and followers of the Mütter Museum, are deeply worried by the recent decisions made by senior leadership of the Museum and College. These actions are reactive and fear-based as well as predicated on a lack of understanding and outright disdain of the Museum. The Museum and College have faced significant backlash via social media as well as in the mainstream media as a direct result of current leaderships’ poor decisions. The timing of these actions, during the silent phase of critical fundraising, is even more unfortunate with potentially significant financial ramifications. However, we feel the Board has the power to restore the public’s trust and ensure the continued success of the institution.

We are calling on the Board to take the following actions:

1.  Reinstate all online content.

       a.  Repost all YouTube videos as well as the Memento Mütter website.  The removal of these videos makes Museum content inaccessible for everyone unable to physically visit the Museum. While there have been claims of “surveying for feedback” and “wider discussions” these have yet to materialize, and the content has been absent for months.

             i.   Disability advocates have pointed out (rightly) that removal of online Museum content strips them of the ability to experience and learn from the Mütter Museum’s collection.

             ii.   Rather than keep the material posted and allow the review to go on as needed (which is consistent with content review protocols of cultural institutions), the material was taken down indefinitely. This action denies access to the public and deprives the world of unique and valuable information.

2.  Commit to inclusive and diverse representation on Museum review committees including members of the medical Museum, research, and disability communities.

       a.  The Museum is no longer “by physician, for physician.” Its reputation and scope exceed the bounds of “the medical gaze” and embraces our beautifully imperfect humanity.

       b.  The Museum invites the uncomfortable reckoning with our medical past through the respectful and educational use of the collection. It invites the public to explore what it means to be human.  To remove and sanitize the collection is tantamount to whitewashing. Including diversity among your members can provide much needed context and viewpoints that are currently lacking in your committees.

3.   Commit to increased and better communication, both internally and externally. One of the most damaging actions by current leadership is the embargo of information. Some actions to address this include, but are not limited to:

       a.  Reinstate regular communication with the Wood Institute, Library, and Museum Committee (WILM). This committee exists to provide oversight, as well as to give non-trustee Fellows a voice in the conduct of the College. WILM has provided meaningful collaboration with the administration since 1998 and is needed now more than ever.

       b.  Increased transparency with staff. The exodus of over a dozen longtime staff members including the heads of fundraising, education, and the library is a chilling indicator of the direction the administration is attempting to take the Museum and College.

       c.  Increased transparency with members. Museum visitors provide essential funding to the Museum and a significant portion of College revenue and deserve to be informed as to the direction and thought processes of the institution. Keeping members in the dark only serves to alienate us and cost the Museum money and support.

             i.   In a review of the last six fiscal years, Museum Admission and Store Library Services have accounted for an average of 40% of operating revenue, on par with Contributions and Grants.

                 1.   In FY22, the Museum/College lost over $4 million in investments.

                 2.   Without Museum visitor income (which was at a 6-year high in FY22) operating revenue would have been at a negative.

                 3.   This paints a picture that leadership (Quinn/Irons) want to sacrifice the ideals and mission of the institution they represent in a misguided attempt to increase visitorship and cover their financial losses. This is a mistake.

4.   A commitment to honor the legacy and principles of Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter.

      a.   Dr. Mütter believed in compassion and love for society’s “monsters.”. He did not believe that the atypical deserved to be hidden, or shunned. By removing specimens from view, or shying away from the “gross” as Kate Quinn described it, you do a disservice to the memory of the Museum’s namesake.

5.   Reinstate researcher access to the collection and library images.

      a.   This is in complete opposition to the organization’s founding principles. The Museum was founded by a private donation of both funds and a collection of pathological specimens specifically for the purpose of education and research.

6.   The immediate dismissal of Kate Quinn and Dr. Mira Irons [Dr. Irons has since resigned].

      a.   Both Ms. Quinn and Dr. Irons have illustrated they are incompatible with the mission, legacy and audience of the Mütter Museum.

      b.   Kate Quinn, who believes the Museum should be less “gross” and would lend more credence to detractors than devotees, was hired by Dr. Irons in the interest of “reassessing how the Museum moves forward.”  Kate Quinn believes that the “mission of the College and the Mütter is to facilitate health and well-being.” This is not the mission of the College or the Museum.

             i.   According to its own website, “The Museum helps the public understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body and to appreciate the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease.” As for the College, its mission is “advancing the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine.”

      b.   By the same token, Dr. Mira Irons has failed the Museum and the College. Dr. Irons’ disdain for the membership, public visitors, and the collection itself makes her ill-suited to her position. Her belief that “Unless you have that subject matter expertise to contextualize yourself somewhat, we just have to do it for you” is offensive and runs counter to the mission of the Museum and College. Furthermore, it is a dangerous belief. Reserving medical information and displays solely for medical professionals is elitist and opposite to her claims of wanting to increase accessibility.

Please consider this petition a vote of no confidence for the current senior leadership (CEO and Executive Director) and a request that they be terminated immediately. Only then can the College begin to repair the damage they wrought.  The College holds the Mütter Museum and its collection in trust, as stewards, to pass on to future generations. We do not trust current leadership with the safety of this incredible collection.

“The members of the WILM Committee are long-time advocates of the College of Physicians, the Museum, and the library, as well as donors, exhibition facilitators, and procurers of anatomic specimens. I, and they, are deeply concerned that the decisions of the CEO and executive director of the College are an attempt to dismantle and destroy an educational legacy that is several hundred years old, and, if they continue with their plans, the damage to the Museum collection, the library, and the international reputation of the College will be irreparable.”

- Marianne Hamel, MD, Phd, FCPP, Chair of WILM.

We will not be silenced, we will not be mollified, we will not be ignored, and we will not stop.