Physick House

Philadelphia

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Home to the 'Father of American Surgery,' Philip Syng Physick, this stately house has been well preserved. Physick is credited with inventing the stomach pump as well as introducing soda pop to the US, and details of his life are documented throughout the furnished rooms: look out for the toe-curling illustrations of a lithotomy, an operation to remove gallstones, and the eye-watering implements used for the procedure.

The Federal-style mansion was built in 1786 by a wine importer who kept the original City Tavern well-stocked.

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