This photo shows what the Historical Collections guys came across in a wooden footlocker/trunk at the warehouse. It's about 3/4 filled with boxed paraffin blocks that appear to date, based on the label, from the late nineteenth century. The boxes for each tissue sample are marked with a diagnosis, representative examples of which include bubonic plague, yaws, variola, syphilis, Leishmaniasis, and acute pancreatitis.
The labels on the boxes associate the collection with Dr. B.C. Crowell, and include a catalog number and a case number. The boxes may be from three different collections:
1 of BC Crowell
1 of people w/ Hispanic names in white boxes
1 in boxes w/ typed labels from American College of Surgeons.
It's still under investigation as to exactly what they are.
