Letter of the Day: June 28

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 04678

War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
Washington,June 28, 1900.

Capt. Edgar A. Mearns
Asst. Surgeon, U.S. Army,
(Through Chief Surgeon Dept. of the East)

Sir:

The Surgeon General directs me to acknowledge receiveing a specimen of aneurism of the aorta, case of Sgt. John F. Walsh, Batty. "I" 7th Arty., and the history of the case dated 25th inst., in making contributions to the Museum of such illustrations of pathology is always much appreciated.

Respectfully,
[Lieut. Col. A.A. Woodhull]

Letter of the Day: June 16

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02335

June 16, 1897

Dr. I.S. Stone,
1449 Rhode Island Avenue,
Washington, D.C.

Dear Doctor:

I beg to report that the microscopic examination of sections of supposed additional ovaries, left for examination on may 26, 1897, shows in both a fibrous structure rich in spindle-shaped cells, such as one generally sees in sections of the ovary. There are no Graafian follicles to be found however. The surface of one of these bodies is partially covered with a low cuboidal epithelium which can be traced into the interior of the growth, where it becomes a higher cuboidal and even ciliated columnar epithelium, lining a number of clefts which branch in various directions. I think that these various clefts lined with epithelium merely mark the outlines of papillary projections which have been cut out transversely. One of those out in a longitudinal direction is seen to be covered with high columnar ciliated epithelium. This epithelium must be considered as modified germinal epithelium, thus demonstrating the ovarian origin of these bodies. I believe, therefore, that from the microscopic appearance, these bodies should be considered as superficial papillomata of the ovary. J. Whitwedge Williams has given a full description of these papillomata in Vol. III, Johns Hopkins Hospital Reports.

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

Letter of the Day: June 15

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 06767

Surgeon General's Office
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library
Corner of 7th and B Streets
Washington, June 15, 1903.

Dr. R. S. Lamb
1017 14th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.

Dear Doctor;

I am directed by the Surgeon General to express his thanks for the two specimens of eyes removed, one for panophthalmitia, and the other for atrophy following injury, received from you on this day. they will be added to the collection with properly inscribed cards.

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

Specimens Nos. 12594 + 12632 Path. Sect.

Letter of the Day: June 5

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 08386

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

June 5, 1905.

Dr. W. M. L. Coplin,
Jefferson medical College,
Philadelphia, Pa.

Dear Sir:

I am directed by the Surgeon General to express his thanks for the specimen of pancreas, showing hemorrhagic and fat necrosis, received by you on the 1st inst. It will be added to the collection with a properly inscribed card.

Will you have the further kindness to furnish the Museum with its history?

Very respectfully,

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

Letter of the Day: May 22 - Civil War in Northern Virginia

Here's a nice letter for Memorial Day, even though it's from a week earlier. As I've noted elsewhere, writing during a memorializing age when much of Washington was being filled with statues of war heroes, Surgeon General Barnes hoped, "In carrying out the intentions of Congress, it has been my earnest endeavor to make this Medical and Surgical History of the War, not only a contribution to science, but an enduring monument to the self-sacrificing zeal and professional ability of the Volunteer and Regular Medical Staff; and the unparalleled liberality of our Government, which provided so amply for the care of its sick and wounded soldiers."

Centreville Camp Hays 22nd May 1863

J. H. Brinton, M.D.
Surgeon U.S.V.
Curator of the Army Medical Museum.

In obedience to Yours from May 16th I proceded (sic) to Gen’l Abercrombie’s Headquarters in submitting your letter. I was informed that official orders from Gen’l Heinzelmann were received to let nobody pass outside the lines. The battlefield of Bull Run is 3 miles outside the lines. If I could get a permission from Gen’l Heinzelmann and an escort of Cavalry from Gen’l Stahl in Fairfax, I am sure to be recompensed by a rich booty of pathological objects. Please and furnish permission and an escort and I will immediately proceed to the Battlefield and take with me such men well acquainted with the locality and relative places.

After the engagement at Strasburg and the battle of Kross Keys (sic - Cross Keys) I had a little collection, but afterwards meanwhile my captivity in June & July last year they were lost. The cranium Dr. Baron mentioned is lost, but I hope that this loss will be repaired by another one I will send to you.

Very Respectfully Your Obdt. Servant,
Frederick Wolf
Surgeon of the 39th Regt. N.Y.V.

P.S. Allow me to write you next time a letter, concerning views in composing the materials of a military museum which I would hazard to submit to you.

Letter of the Day: May 20 (2 of 2)

 

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 8352

 

War Department,

Office of the Surgeon General,

Army Medical Museum and Library,

Washington,

May 20, 1905

 

To the Surgeon General,

U.S. Army.

(Through the Officer in charge of Museum & Library Division).

 

Sir:

 

I have the honor to ask the Commanding Officer of the U.S. General Hospital at Fort Bayard, N.M. to be requested to have prepared and forwarded to the Army Medical Museum, from time to time, as they can obtained, a series of specimens preserved by the Kaiserling method for the purposes of showing, in their natural appearance, the various lesions of tuberculosis and any other interesting pathological condition that may be encountered at post mortem examination. Such a collection would be of great interest and value, and the number of specimens should be large, in order to show the variations occurring in lesions essentially the same. It is desired to illustrate tuberculosis of all the tissues and organs, including the brain, meninges, bones, serous membranes, testicles, etc.

 

Kaiserling’s method is published in the work on Pathological Technique, by Mallory and Wright, and it requires only care and a little practice to insure success. Sections through organs should usually not be more than an inch in thickness, and for the purpose of identification a small parchment tag, bearing a number in India ink, should be stitched to each specimen. A number of specimens could be shipped in the same container and they should be accompanied by a brief note of the findings at autopsy, stating also whether from the clinical point of view the case was acute, subacute or chronic.

 

Very respectfully,

James Carroll

First Lieut, Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.

Curator, Army Medical Museum

 

1^st Indorsement

Surgeon General’s office,

Museum & Library Division,

May 20, 1905

Respectfully forwarded recommended.

 

C.L. Heinzmann

Col. Asst. Surg. Genl. U.S.A.

In charge of M&L Division

 

Accession of the day, May 16

A.M.M No. 10548
Pathological Section

Washington, D.C.
May 16, 1893

Lamb, Dr. D.S.
Pathologist, A.M.M.




Sternum showing attachment of eight cartilages on left side.

From Barbara Lippert, white, single, age 30 years, who was left handed. Died March 10, 1893. Necroscopy by Dr. Lamb, Mar. 11, 1893, for Dr. Amelia Erbach.

See Photographs Nos. 83 & 84 N.S. A.M.M.
Specimen received May 16, 1893

Accession of the day, March 9

I'm pretty sure that 6 years part can't be true.

A.M.M. [Army Medical Museum] No. 10156
Pathological Section

Washington, D.C.
March 9, 1891

Robinson Dr. C.B.
Veterinary Surgeon



Foetal bones, said to have been discharged from the uterus of a mare, about 12 years old. Owned by Senator J.S. Barbour of Virginia.

It is stated that she had not been put to a horse for 6 years.

History received verbally
Specimen received Mar. 8, 1891