Letter of the Day: April 24

Copy

Quiniault, W.T. April 24, 1888.

Dear Sir:-

Your letter dated February 29th, with one from Doctor John S. Billings, U.S.A. was handed me by Captain Willoughby, then agent at this place.

In answer to the same I am sorry to be compelled to state that, up to the present time, I have been unable to procure a single skeleton, or anything of the kind, and am of the opinion, owing to the great superstition entertained by the natives, and the sacredness with which they hold the memory of the departed spirit, that it will be impossible to secure anything of the kind except by clandestinely robbing the graves. I will continue in my efforts to accomodate Gen. Billings, and will report to you the same.

Very truly,
[signed] Geo. W. Haymi,
Physician, Agency.

Letter of the Day: April 23

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02203

April 23, 1897.

Mr. Henry C. Mansfield, D.D.S.
Jefferson, Wis.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 21st instant, has been received. I shall always be glad to receive for deposit in the Museum contributions showing advance in dentistry, and you may send them in the same manner as heretofore, freight charges to be paid here. Your suggestion that dentists, before destroying their original plaster moulds of interesting cases, might save duplicates for this Museum, is a very good one, but my experience is that the busy practitioner rarely thinks that he can spare time for such work. I shall be pleased to receive the casts in the case of the cleft palate mentioned by you.

I have not the name or address of the "New York dentist that has gotten up a special mould" nor have I access to the "New Ideas" published in Philadelphia and can, therefore, be of no assistance to you in this matter.

Very respectfully,
D.L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 22

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 03066

April 22, 1898

Capt. Henry C. Ward, 16th U.S. Infantry,
War Department Representative,
Omaha, Neb.

Sir:

The Army Medical Museum Exhibit will be ready for shipment on or about the 28th of this month, when it will be turned over to Col. Humphries, Deputy Qr. Mr. Genl. for shipment. As I presume that you have a special form of vouchers for payment of bills from the Exposition fund, I shall be pleased to receive about six (6) blank forms with such instructions to fill them out properly, as you deem necessary.

Very respectfully,
Dallas Bache
Col. & Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 21 (2 of 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 07458

War Department
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington.

April 21, 1904.

Mr. Geo. L. Nicholas
Veterinarian
Nazareth, Pa.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 13th inst. to the National Museum, offering for sale a mounted calf with 2 heads, 4 eyes, 2 ears, 2 front legs, and 4 hind legs, has been referred to this institution, and in reply I wish to say that the Army Medical Museum does not desire the specimen.

Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst, Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 21 (1 of 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 07459

War Department
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington.

April 21, 1904.

Mr. Fred Goodwin,
Titusville, Fla.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 14th inst. to the General Manager Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., offering for sale a dog with three legs and a short nub of a fourth leg, has been referred to this Institution, and in reply I wish to say that the Army Medical Museum does not desire the specimen.

Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst, Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 20

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02183

April 20, 1897.

Captain W.C. Gorgas, Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.
Fort Barrancas, Florida,

My Dear Doctor:

Referring to your letter of April 10, 1897, I beg to say that a microscopic examination of the small piece of tumor sent by you proves it to be epithelioma.

Very sincerely yours,

Walter Reed,
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator

Letter of the Day: April 19

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02197

April 19, 1897

Dr. A. H. Davidson,
Cuero, Texas

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 5th instant, to the Surgeon General, U. S. Army has been referred to me for answer. The statistics of anaesthesia in the Federal army during the late war will be found on p.891 &c. of the 3rd Surgical Volume of the Medical and Surgical History of the War. Anaesthetics were employed in no less than 80.000 cases; in 76.2% the agent was chloroform, in 14.7% ether, and in 9.1% a mixture if ether and chloroform. Thirty-seven (37) cases of deaths from chloroform were reported and four (4) from ether.

There is no report of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commission in the Library. We have a report of the second Hyderabad Commission, which was published at Bombay in 1891, but it is one of the books which are not usually loaned from the Library.

Very truly yours,
D.L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 18

Camp Apache A.T. [Arizona Territory]
18 April 1871

Brig. Gen'l. J.K. Barnes
Surgeon General U.S. Army

General

I have the honor to transmit to you by this mail; one pack of Apache playing cards. Hoping the will be acceptable I am Sir

Very Respectfully
Your Obt Servt
Milan Soule
Act. Asst. Surg. U.S.A.

[If you are curious about Apache playing cards, check out Virginia and Harold Wayland's Playing Cards of the Apaches: A Study in Cultural Adaptation.]



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Letter of the Day: April 17

Copy.

Colombo, Ceylon,
April 17, 1895.

The Director of the Ethnological Museum,
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Sir:-

I beg to enquire whether you would wish to secure the skull of a Veddah, a race of people inhabiting the wilder regions of this Island, but fast dying out and believed by scientists to be the *missing link* in the Darwinian system of the descent of man. These skulls have been eagerly sought after for the German Museum. I shall be glad to forward one to you on receiving a remittance of its price £ 20. which will cover freight, insurance and other charges from this to New York.

I can also supply you with other specimens of the Natural and industrial products of this Island for your Museum.

I am, Sir,
Yours truly,
(Signed) Chas. Stouter.

Letter of the Day: April 16

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02190

April 16, 1897

Dr. J.H. Huddleston,
Health Department, Criminal Court Building,
New York, N.Y.

Dear Sir:

Referring to your letter of the 14th instant, to the Surgeon General, U.S. Army, asking whether trial of vaccine virus sent on March 28th, had been made, if you have any suspicion or evidence that the efficacy of the virus has been impaired, please inform me at once, as I am about to make a trial of this virus on small children during the coming week.

Very truly yours,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator.

Letter of the Day: April 15 (part 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 07453
Copy

Pensacola, Fla
April 15, 1904

Surgeon General USA
Washington DC

Sir

I have the honor to inform you that I have forwarded to you by this mail for the Army Medical Museum a specimen of intestinal parasite, unknown to me and those of my confreres to whom it has been shown. I would be greatly pleased if you will kindly have your experts give me its name, method of infection, and whatever information they may have concerning this parasite, and can conveniently give. I have examined a number of medical books without result.

The following is a history of the case:

Mrs X, white, age about 35, weight about 180lbs, believed herself pregnant for the past two or three months. Had enlarged abdomen and thought she felt life. Was examined by two physicians who could not find any sign of pregnancy. A few days ago she began to suffer with cramps and profuse diarrhoea and passed an intestinal parasite after which the symptoms began to gradually subside. From the sensation of passing this parasite she is under the impression that she passed others; but as the defecation took place at night, the fecal matter was disposed of before it could be examined.

Very respectfully
(signed) W.A.J. Pollock M.D.
Room 412 Thiesen Building

Letter of the Day: April 15

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 03050

Subject:

War Department
Surgeon General's Office,
Washington, April 15, 1898

Major Walter Reed,
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator, Army Medical Museum,
Washington.

Sir:

By direction of the Surgeon General, I sen you herewith, three (3) cakes of Red Cross Soap, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, N.J., for report as to its germicidal value.

Very respectfully,
CH Alden
Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Letter of the Day: April 14

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 09429

War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington.

April 14, 1906.

To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army.

Sir:

I have the honor to request authority to purchase for deposit in the Army Medical Museum the following busts of Medical and other Scientific men:

Aesculapius, est cost...$5.00
Agassiz""...5.00
Darwin, Chas""...5.00
Galen""...7.00
Huxley""...7.50
Holmes, Oliver W. est. cost 8.00
Linnaeus, est. cost...5.00

to be paid for from the Museum appropriation.

Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division.

Letter of the Day: April 13

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 09427

War Department
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington.

April 13, 1906

Dr. D. J. Healy, Anatomist,
Army Medical Museum.

Sir:

Referring to your verbal report of this afternoon that Landsberg was observed sleeping in the Museum Hall, you are requested to submit a report in writing, stating the time at which the observation was made, how long the sleeping continued, and any circumstances bearing upon it.

Very respectfully,
James Carroll
1st Lieut., Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator, Army Medical Museum.

Letter of the Day: April 12

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 05157

War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S.Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets.,
Washington, April 12, 1901

Dr. Cecil French,
718 12th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.

Sir:

I am directed by the Surgeon General to express his thanks for the portions of the left side of the pelvis, of the small intestine and of the internal genitals, showing an inguinal hernia, received from you on the 11th inst. The specimen has been added to the collection with a properly inscribed card.

Respectfully,
AF Woodhull
Col. Asst. Surg.

Letter of the Day: April 11

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 05863

Repair of Skylight

Surgeon General's Office,
U.S.Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
Washington, April 11, 1902

To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army

General:

I have the honor to report that two panes of glass of the skylight of the photograph gallery of this building, need replacing . The panes, not being perfectly straight (always more or less concave), seem to rest on the four corners with result, that with every heavy windstorm the corners break off. Thus it has been necessary to have the glass repaired every year since the occupation of this building. I would therefore recommend that the glass of the entire skylight (18 x 12 ft.) be replaced with straight heavy ribbed glass, a sample of which, furnished by C.E. Hodgkin, 918 Seventh St., N.W. is herewith submitted. I understand that the cost of this change would not exceed $40.00.

Very respectfully,
Calvin DeWitt
Col. & Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division

Letter of the Day: April 10

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02183

Fort Barrancas Fla.
April 10th 1897.

Major Walter Reed
Surgeon U.S.A.

Dear Doctor,

I forward by todays mail [a] piece of a small warty tumor from tongue of Tucker[?] Clifford. It is situated in center of dorsum of anterior surface of tongue + not not raised above [the] surface. It looks to me suspicious.

Will you be kind enought to examine + give me your opinion.

Very truly yours,
W.C. Gorgas.

Letter of the Day: April 9

JWS/caw

9 April 1962

Mr. W.O. Miller
Exhibit Manager
The Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Dear Mr. Miller:

Last year the Medical Museum had approximately 700,000 visitors and it is anticipated that the figure will reach the million mark by 1963.

We would like to have the opportunity of exhibiting The Cell during 1963. Do you have a photograph and descriptive material on this exhibit?

It is regretted that The “Brain” is too complicated to exhibit here.

Sincerely yours,

John W. Sheridan
Colonel MSC
Curator, Medical Museum

Letter of the Day: April 8

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 03041

April 8, 1898

Mr. Richard Sylvester
Chief Clerk, Met. Police Dept.
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

I have the pleasure of acknowledging the receipt, through Dr. D.S. Lamb, of the bullet extracted from the body of Taulces [?] and other bullets removed from the bodies of suicides, and to thank you for these contributions to the museum collections.


Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator

Letter of the Day: April 7

Faria, Macias & Co.
Commisionn [sic] Merchants,
58, 60 & 62 Broadway & 21 New St.

New York April 7, 1897.

Librarian
Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army,
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

Having been requested by my friend Mr. Faria owner of an anthopological [sic] collections of South American Indian objects, about 200000 articles, to negotiate with influential parties to dispose of the same under certain conditions; the specimens cannot be duplicated being all provided with certificate of authority, believing therefore it would be a great acquisition for any of the scientific Institutions of this country. The owners purpose is to make a donation of the same with the sole condition that he would be appointed Director, with a small yearly compensation; he has the capacity and knowledge, having devoted some years to the study of anthropology. If you believe something could be done I beg of you to let me have your valuable advice. Thanking you in advance I remain

Yours respectfully,
(Signed) A Macias.

Please address your answer to
Mr. A.J. Macias
102 West 90th Street
New York.