Medical Museum Houses Historical Oddities

The US National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, DC is home to John Wilkes Booth's spinal cord (and the bullet still lodged in it), an eggplant-sized hairball taken from the stomach of a teenaged girl, and a variety of other gruesome, fascinating, and just plain odd exhibits. (Contrary to popular belief, however, its collections do not include John Dillinger's penis.)

Founded by a Civil War surgeon, the museum is dedicated to disseminating information it may be difficult to find elsewhere. Its researchers are among the best pathologists in the country, and it claims to have the finest DNA laboratories in the world. There is no charge for admission, but reservations are required.
(Reuters)