YouTube Show Features Medical Artifacts from Mercer Museum

Former Mütter Museum curator Anna Dhody highlights historical medical items in new video series.

Feb. 3, 2026 at 10:23am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Anna Dhody, a former curator at Philadelphia's Mütter Museum, has created a popular YouTube series called "Guess What's on the Curator's Desk" that features unusual medical artifacts. Now, Dhody has partnered with the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania to highlight items from their collection of 19th-century medical devices, drugs, and instruments in a new video series.

Why it matters

The Mercer Museum's collection provides a unique window into the evolution of medical practices and technologies from the 18th to 19th centuries. By sharing these artifacts with a wider audience through online videos, Dhody hopes to educate people about the history of medicine and potentially inspire them to visit the museum in person.

The details

Dhody, a forensic anthropologist, previously served as curator of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. During her time there, she started the popular "Guess What's on the Curator's Desk" YouTube series, which featured unusual medical items. Now, Dhody has partnered with the Mercer Museum in Doylestown to highlight artifacts from their collection, which includes items like bloodletting tools, amputation kits, and early baby bottles. The Mercer Museum was founded by historian Henry Chapman Mercer and houses a unique collection of 19th-century everyday objects, including many medical devices and instruments.

  • Anna Dhody started the "Guess What's on the Curator's Desk" YouTube series while she was curator at the Mütter Museum.
  • Dhody has since left the Mütter Museum and now runs her own research institute.
  • The Mercer Museum was founded in 1916 by historian Henry Chapman Mercer.

The players

Anna Dhody

A former curator at the Mütter Museum who has created a popular YouTube series featuring unusual medical artifacts. She has now partnered with the Mercer Museum to highlight items from their collection.

Cory Amsler

The senior director of exhibits, collections and historic properties at the Bucks County Historical Society, which runs the Mercer Museum.

Henry Chapman Mercer

The historian who founded the Mercer Museum in 1916 and started a unique collection of 19th-century everyday objects, including many medical devices and instruments.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Seeing things … up close, seeing the actual artifact, as Henry Mercer said, provides a sort of indescribable experience.”

— Cory Amsler, Senior Director, Bucks County Historical Society (WHYY)

“Museums are special places in the fabric of our society, and the internet can never fully replace them. However, websites like YouTube can help a museum extend itself to an audience who might otherwise be constrained by geographic or physical limitations.”

— Xiomara Blanco, Media Producer, Historic New Orleans Collection (WHYY)

What’s next

Dhody plans to continue the new video series highlighting medical artifacts from the Mercer Museum's collection, providing viewers with an up-close look at historical medical devices and instruments.

The takeaway

By sharing the Mercer Museum's unique collection of 19th-century medical artifacts through an engaging online video series, Dhody is helping to educate a wider audience about the evolution of medical practices and technologies while also potentially inspiring people to visit the museum in person.