10 Unsettling Medical Anomalies

Around the globe, numerous medical oddities exist. If you know where to search, you can explore and marvel at these fascinating, albeit sometimes unsettling, discoveries.

10. Cyclops Infant Museum Vrolik, Amsterdam, Netherlands

In the 19th century, anatomists Gerardus and Willem Vrolik, a father-son team, were fascinated by human anomalies. Willem’s 1834 medical study delved into “cyclopia,” a rare congenital condition where the embryo fails to develop two distinct eye sockets, resulting in a single central cavity. This condition occurs in approximately 1 in 16,000 embryos, whether human or animal. However, most affected embryos are either miscarried or born still.

The Vroliks amassed several cyclopic specimens: five human and 19 from various animals, including pigs, lambs, and a cat. These can all be viewed in the Museum Vrolik, housed within the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at the University of Amsterdam.

9. Jar of Moles Grant Museum of Zoology, London, UK

A jar filled with moles? Indeed. Eighteen moles preserved in a glass jar may not be the most gruesome exhibit, but it’s undeniably captivating. This peculiar display stands out even in a museum featuring an anaconda skeleton, dodo bones, and an extensive brain collection. The reason behind the moles being stored in a jar remains a mystery.

8. Enormous Human Hairball National Museum of Health and Medicine, Maryland, USA

While cats are notorious for their hairballs, they aren’t the only creatures affected by these masses of indigestible material. Animals like cows, oxen, sheep, goats, llamas, deer, and antelopes also experience this unpleasant condition. Surprisingly, humans can suffer from it too. The National Museum of Health and Medicine houses several startling examples of human hairballs, including the largest trichobezoar ever documented. This massive hairball was extracted from the stomach of a 12-year-old girl who compulsively consumed her own hair.

7. Skull of a Gunshot Victim Siriraj Medical Museum, Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand’s oldest hospital houses the so-called “Museum of Death,” a local nickname for this intriguing institution. The museum is divided into six distinct sections: pathology, forensics, the history of Thai medicine, parasitology, anatomy, and prehistory.

Among the most captivating exhibits is a preserved severed head. This isn’t just any severed head (though such specimens are rare to begin with). This head has been meticulously cut in half to illustrate the trajectory of a bullet that pierced through it. The cross-section vividly reveals the bullet’s entry point and the extensive damage it caused within the skull.

6. Enormous Colon Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, USA

The term “Mega Colon” might sound like it belongs in a 1950s sci-fi film, but this condition is a real medical anomaly. Hirschsprung’s disease, which causes this condition, occurs when nerve endings in the colon fail to develop fully in the womb. This results in certain muscles not receiving signals to contract, leading to severe constipation. In this case, the colon grew to an astonishing eight feet in length and weighed 40 pounds. To emphasize the abnormality, the museum displays a wax model of a normal-sized colon alongside the Mega Colon, highlighting the stark and almost unbelievable contrast.

5. Ovary Affected by Teratoma Museum of Human Disease, Sydney, Australia

Located at the University of New South Wales, the Museum of Human Disease showcases a variety of diseased human tissues, including impaired hearts and lungs. Among its most striking exhibits is a benign ovarian teratoma. This type of germ cell tumor disrupts normal ovarian cell growth, sometimes resulting in tumors that mimic partially developed fetuses, complete with hair and teeth, as seen in the specimen above. Originally established in the 1960s for pathology and medical students, the museum opened to the public in 2009 to raise awareness about such conditions.

4. “Anatomical Machines” Museo Capella Sansevero, Naples, Italy

Beneath the Sansevero Chapel in Naples lies an underground chamber housing two of Europe’s most chilling discoveries. Encased in glass are the skeletons of a man and a pregnant woman, standing side by side, their circulatory systems remarkably preserved and vividly highlighted—blue for veins and red for arteries.

These “Machines” were crafted by 18th-century physician Giuseppe Salerno and are among the most impeccably preserved human specimens in existence. However, the authenticity of the colored circulatory systems remains debated. Some argue that while the skeletons are genuine, the veins and arteries might be artificial, possibly made from beeswax, iron wire, and silk. Others propose a darker theory, suggesting Salerno was a sorcerer who used a hardening agent to “metallize” his victims. Over 250 years later, the truth remains elusive. Regardless of their origins, these anatomical wonders were groundbreaking for their time, whether created for scientific study or macabre display.

3. The Horseman of the Apocalypse Musée Fragonard, Paris, France

Honoré Fragonard was undoubtedly an eccentric figure. The anatomist, who lived from 1732 to 1799, was a trailblazer in his field. “Ecorchés” are anatomical figures stripped of skin, revealing the underlying musculature. Before Fragonard, ecorchés were limited to artistic representations in paintings and sculptures. Fragonard, however, took a different approach, crafting his ecorchés from real human cadavers.

At one of the world’s oldest veterinary schools, the École Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, you can find the remnants of Fragonard’s creations. Out of the 700 bodies he dissected, only 21 survive today. These are exhibited in Paris, showcasing his macabre artistry.

The most renowned of his works depicts a man riding a horse, inspired by Albrecht Durer’s famous 14th-century woodcuts. Both the man and the horse are meticulously flayed, but the piece takes a darker turn. “The Horseman of the Apocalypse” is accompanied by human fetuses riding on the backs of horse and sheep fetuses. Truly, Fragonard was an unusual character.

2. Book Bound in Human Skin Surgeons’ Hall Pathology Museum, Edinburgh, Scotland

Two of Scotland’s most infamous figures were William Burke and William Hare. These 19th-century murderers sold the bodies of their 16 victims to Dr. Robert Knox, who used them for his highly regarded anatomy lectures. When the pair was eventually caught, Hare betrayed Burke, securing his own freedom while Burke faced execution.

At the museum housed within the Royal College of Surgeons, visitors can find a chilling relic from the Burke and Hare murders. What appears to be an aged, worn book is bound in an unsettling material. The inscription reads: “EXECUTED 28 JAN 1829.” This is no ordinary leather—the book is covered in the skin of William Burke, preserved after his execution and dissection.

1. Longest Tapeworm in the World Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

The world’s only museum dedicated to parasites showcases some of the most unsettling exhibits imaginable. The most notorious is the longest tapeworm ever recorded. Measuring 8.8 meters (28 feet), the Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense was extracted from a Japanese man who experienced stomach pain after consuming trout.

Accompanying the tapeworm is a hands-on exhibit—a rope matching its exact length and thickness, allowing visitors to visualize the parasite wrapped around their intestines. For those not at the museum, consider this comparison: the average giraffe stands at 5.5 meters (16 feet), while this tapeworm stretches an additional three meters (9.8 feet) beyond that.