Freakin Weird Blog

July 25, 2005
Soap Lady and the Giant Colon

A liver the size of Iowa. Artery walls harder than diamond-tipped drills. Lungs like wrinkled weather balloons. To many, these would seem like strange physiological miracles. To me, they're just the results of yet another yearly medical.

But there's no doubt that human bodies ARE very weird. All it takes is for a few cells in the wrong place to start getting a little bit hyper, and suddenly you've developed an extra limb or woken up to find your internal organs are like over-ripe bananas.

So for fans of medical curiosities, check out the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, PA. This collection of weird and wonderful pathological specimens will have you gagging in delight as the crushing reality dawns of just how weird Mother Nature can be.

You'll never eat another bran flake again once you’ve witnessed the spellbinding Giant Colon, a staggeringly swollen organ that looks like it belongs in a zombie horror film. Or maybe The Soap Woman is more your thing – the body of a woman who was buried in the 19th century and, due to some quirky chemical reaction, turned into a giant bar of Irish Spring.

From brains to baby deformities, any pre-held belief that humans are the perfect species will be shattered once you leave this museum. Some people will look at the exhibits and think they're shocking. Others will just think of their neighbors. I guess it just depends how small your hometown is.

Image from here.

posted by Dr, Wei, PhD 16:17