5 Morbid Museums Around The World

In 1953, medical doctor Satoru Kamegai established the Meguro Parasitological Museum in Tokyo and today it is the only establishment in the world devoted entirely to parasites and parasitology. This museum is sure to get under your skin as guests are given the opportunity to view its collection of about 60,000 specimens, including: hookworms, ticks, botflies and much more. The museum's most prized possession? The world's largest tapeworm -- 8.8 meters long (29 feet long) -- that was extracted from a man's body after he consumed sakura masu, or raw trout. To help guests understand this tapeworm's massivity, the exhibit includes a rope that is the same length as the worm so that you can get a hands-on idea of its dimensions.  

Established by Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1727, the Kunstkamera was the first museum in Russia, and currently houses the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography -- which may be more horrifying to look at than any tapeworm! Tsar Peter had a morbid fascination with human anatomy, and secured a famous collection of bodily preparations from the well-known anatomist Fredrick Ruysch in the 18th Century. It's at this very museum where you can view the collection, featuring cringe-worthy anatomic specimens including deformed fetuses, legs and arms, preserved organs and many other gruesome displays.

Amsterdam tourists fill the dark halls of the city's Torture Museum to view the many horrific ways people used to be punished during the Middle Ages. The guillotine, the skull cracker and the inquisition chair are among many of the grotesque torture devices in this museum that were once used as a means of "justice." Today, they reveal the dark history of the the Medieval Period as each device is accompanied by a vivid description of how and why that particular mode of torture was inflicted.  

Recognized as "One of the 50 most unusual museums in the country," the Glore Psychiatric Museum chronicles the history of Missouri's St. Joseph’s State Mental Hospital and the progression of mental health treatment. Among some of the more morbid treatment equipment on display are the “Bath of Surprise” (a tub that held patients in a bath of cold ice water), the “Lunatic Box” (a coffin-like structure), and the “Tranquilizer Chair"(which included restraints and attached toilet for prolonged use). Exhibits in this museum also feature surgical tools, treatment equipment, personal notes, patients’ artwork and -- even more upsetting -- things that patients swallowed, like 453 nails.  

Interested in seeing some artwork? The Museum of Death houses drawings by seriel killers, Charles Manson crime scene images, original photos from the Dahlia murders, the decapitated head of Henri Landru, mortifying deaths caught on video and other shocking displays. While exploring the museum may seem traumatic, many visitors leave with a renewed gratitude for life.