While some visitors travel to Philadelphia—the cradle of American independence—to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the new National Constitution Center, my last trip there in May brought me to the one place I'd always wanted to visit—the Mütter Museum. Located at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, this medical museum was founded as a resource for doctors and the public to learn about anatomy and human medical anomalies.

What kind of treasures am I talking about here? Presidential curiosity seekers will see the cancerous growth removed from Grover Cleveland's jaw in 1893 and a bone from the body of presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth, along with a plaster cast of Siamese twins Chang & Eng Bunker (1811-1874) as well as their liver, a five foot long human colon, a collection of 2,000 items that were swallowed and removed, and the skeleton of a 7' 6" man.

This museum is not for the faint at heart!

Photo: A mold of Siamese twins joined at the liver on display at the Mütter Museum. (The College of Physicians' Mütter Museum)