An unofficial blog about the National Museum of Health and Medicine (nee the Army Medical Museum) in Silver Spring, MD. Visit for news about the museum, new projects, musing on the history of medicine and neat pictures.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Staying Alive: A Look at the Medical Field in Putnam County
Physician's electrical cabinet
Diagnostic instruments, bandages, splints.
Drugs and pharmaceuticals.
X-ray equipment.
Note the sterilizer iin the corner.
Examination chair.
Birthing table.
Atropine for nerve gas from Vietnam War.
Walter Reed's dinnerware.
Doctors in Vietnam War.
Wheelchair from a doctor's office.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
More from the Ball Collection
Also check out our latest Flickr account for another couple from Ball.
These were done by Margaretta Washington:
Acc. 18696 Lacrimal fistula
Acc 18697 Trachoma
Acc 18698 Um, I don't remember. This might be tuberculosis.
Acc 18699 Acute catarrhal conjunctivitis
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
YMCA in World War 1
Reeve 16000: YMCA kitchen. 11/05/1918. Metz, Lorraine. YMCA kitchen where all Allied prisoners of war are fed after being released from German prison camp.
Reeve 16079: YMCA, Chavonne, France. Bringing supplies to the YMCA. On the door is a large "Y" made from shells which landed near the door while under shell fire.
Reeve 16065: YMCA. Field Hospital #3. Froissy, France. Female workers giving refreshments to French patients.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Influenza News Means More Museum Photo Requests
"Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly -- a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. They mixed samples of the 1918 influenza strain with modern seasonal flu viruses to find the three genes and said their study might help in the development of new flu drugs."
So be on the lookout for mentions of Camp Funston, everyone. You might see one of our photos gracing a newspaper near you.
Want to know more? The Museum had a temporary show on influenza (back in 1997, the exhibit, not the pandemic) and there's a virtual exhibit here.
Some updated links about the Balad exhibit
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Little Gems Are Worth The Effort
Sean Smith, director of government and public relations for the Association of Science-Technology Centers, said that these “little gems” offer “really, really unique things to people — if they take the trouble to go out and find them.”
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Medical museum annual visitor stats
Year Annual visitation notes
1958 234384
1959 363136
1960 586697
1961 684606
1962 631297
1963 478194
1964 451000
1965 543680
1966 765157
1967 571293
1968 280000* *partially closed
So in 1968 we were forced off the Mall, and were going to be moved up to Walter Reed, after some years in storage which severely damaged the collections.
1969 0 closed
1969 0 closed
1971 28216 reopens at WRAMC
In 1971, the Museum reopens in a new wing on the Pathology Institute building.
1972 65688
1973 >60000
1974 50000* *partially closed
Visitors are finding us, but then we get closed again as the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences gets established in our space...
1975 0 closed
1976 0 closed
1977 0 closed
1978 639* *partially closed
1979 6818
So I'm wondering what will happen when we close again, due to the BRAC of Walter Reed.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
National Gallery of Art painting conservation
I was down visiting the conservators and curator a few weeks ago when they uncovered some details in the painting that hadn't been obvious before. I told them I'd have no idea what they were and I didn't, but research goes on and I'll let them tell there story in their own time and place.
Electrotherapy Museum
Here are a few images we sent to him.
Reeve 41477
Reeve 41469
Reeve 41523
Reeve 41488
Reeve 41481
Navy nurse who was at Pearl Harbor dies
Capt. Ruth A. Erickson, 95; Leader of Navy Nurse Corps
By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 23, 2008; Page B04
This one's posted for my colleagues Jan and Andre, the historians at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine & Surgery. They've interviewed lots of people involved in the Navy's brand of military medicine and I'll bet they talked to Capt Erikson. They also put out Navy Medicine, a monthly journal as well as DVD histories. We're going to work with them this year to get their photo collection scanned with an electronic catalogue.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Job opening: Collections Curator, National Museum of Health and Medicine
Please disseminate this information within your work area. If you are, or if you know of someone who is qualified and interested in any of the attached jobs, please submit your CV/Resume, 3 positive (work-related) references, and your salary history/requirements to the person listed in the ad.
Current ARP Openings
American Registry of Pathology
Job Announcement
Monday, December 22, 2008
Collections Curator
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Business Unit-Salary Source 1031-7178
(Exempt: $3,650 - $4,038 Bi-weekly)
The American Registry of Pathology is seeking a “Collections Curator” with oversight responsibility for administration, planning, resource development and use, and personnel, collections development and use, and activities of the Collections Division at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Serves as Collections Curator of the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The position is responsible to the Director, NMHM/AFIP and the incumbent has oversight responsibility for administration, planning, resource development and use, personnel, collections development and use, and activities of the collections divisions of the NMHM/AFIP to ensure the successful accomplishment of Museum missions. Supervises staff, analyzes proposals, prepares requests for extramural funding, manages successful extramural activities, and provides oversight in the collecting areas to insure the appropriate development and implementation of plans and policies. Mandatory Requirements: Superb oral communications skills with knowledge of public speaking techniques for public and professional small groups and large audiences. Superb written communications skills with proven ability to write effective articles, speeches, exhibitions, scholarly publications, and professional contributions. Superb academic publication record in the history of medicine. Proven excellent track record with the extramural funding in the Museum field and the management of projects related thereto. Publication and activity record should demonstrate excellence in both history and museum work at the national level. Excellent supervisory and project management skills. Located in DC near Silver Spring, MD. Please send cover letter, 3 professional references, salary history and current requirement, curriculum vitae by email SShelley@ARPPress.org. COD: 18 January 2009 (CB/WP)
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
National Library of Medicine's manuscript collections
All Manuscript Collections
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/manuscripts/msc.html
Friday, December 12, 2008
A searchable (federal) web
This reminds me of a session I attended at a Webwise conference in 2007 on a slightly different topic, but still about accessibility. The presenters talked about the Web-at-Risk project that tries to archive federal web pages before they disappear. Their example was "numerous Web sites and blogs that emerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (to help direct aid and provide real-time information for the affected area)" that were fast disappearing. It was a very interesting session and if you're interested in reading about it, it's on page 12 of the Webwise proceedings link that's linked above.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Acupuncture again
Today the Washington Post ran an article saying 38% of adults use alternative medicine. It goes on to quote someone from the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, who says, "Acupuncture is a placebo. Homeopathy is one step above fraud...The fact that they are so widely used is evidence for how gullible large segments of our society are." Huh. Hmmm. My choices for pain relief were drugs and/or a cortisone shot. Which might or might not work. I took a chance on the acupuncture, sure, but it wasn't drugs pouring into me.
If you read the article, make sure you read the comments as well. There are a lot of believers out there and, as I say, thousands of years of Chinese medicine can't be wrong.
Happy Holidays from Mike Lemish
To all:
Sedona had her picture taken with Santa to help support the Falmouth Animal Shelter in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Over eight years old she wouldn't stay still - but the photographer caught her on the fly - notice the ear and tongue.
A special hello and Merry Christmas to all my tracker friends in Australia! Thank you all for your support down under- I really do appreciate it. The efforts you have taken to recognize your friends that served in Vietnam and were left behind is incredible.
For all the Vietnam Dog Handlers - thank you for your service.! I have not forgotten you or the dog that you worked with.
Let us not forget the dog teams that are working for us every day to secure our liberty and work for our safety. If you want to help out, check out the Space Coast War Dog Association (www.scwda.org) and contact Sheri Wells. If you are interested in adopting a retired military working dog please check out www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com and contact Debbie Kandoll.
For those of you without a dog - consider having one. They will always be there for you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Best Wishes
Mike Lemish
Historian
Vietnam Dog Handler Association
Merry Christmas back to you, Mike!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Resolved, Advances In Forensic Identification Of Us War Dead, Exhibit Design Navjeet Singh Chhina
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Museum souvenir DIY
Here’s how you do it.
Go to one of the four “Otisarchives” flickr sites as linked to on the right side of the blog. Look through the photos and select the one you like. There's roughly 700 photographs in the 4 accounts.
Click on it and then on the top of the photo, click on ‘all sizes’. Select ‘download’ for the large size which will save it to your harddrive.
For Zazzle, where I’ve been experimenting, go to http://www.zazzle.com and establish an account. Click on ‘create a product’ and pick a product. Click on ‘add an image’ and then pull the picture off your harddrive. Position it on the product until you like it. You can add multiple images or text to some products. You can also make multiple products using the same image which will have been stored in your account under ‘my images.’
Click on either ‘add to my cart’ or ‘post for sale’ when you’re happy with the way it looks.
Pay them and do what you will with the finished product. They can be a bit cranky when it comes to publishing stamps and wouldn’t let my Civil War surgery experiment go out to the world, although they sold me the stamps.
Have fun. Let me know if you do anything particularly interesting.
The Burns Archive
For the past thirty years, Dr. Burns has collected more than 700,000 photographs from the 19th century. Among these are 60,000 medical images that include dageurreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes from 1840-1860, but he also has strong collections in African-American photographs, wounded Civil War soldiers, Judaica, and war images from the Crimean to World War 2 (plus many other genres; check out his website).
Included in the box with Deadly Intent was a tiny paper packet from Dr. R.B. Bontecou, a Civil War physician and photographer who traveled to battlefields, documenting injuries with his camera. The packet was designed to hold an antiseptic bandage, which Bontecou called the Soldier's Packet for First Wound Dressing. That will go into our GMPI (General Medical Products Information) collection and the book, along with the others he has sent us, lives on a shelf in the archives.
Thank you, Stanley.
Monday, December 8, 2008
World War 1 records online in UK
The University of Oxford uses CONTENTdm(r) to digitise rare First World War resource collections
Birmingham, UK, 08 December 2008: The 90th anniversary of the Armistice sees The University of Oxford launch the final element of two remarkable online First World War archives that provide open access to an unrivalled database of primary source material as part of the JISC Digitisation Programme.
The University of Oxford's 'First World War Poetry' and 'Great War' Digital Archives hold over 7,000 and 6,500 digital images respectively and both use OCLC's CONTENTdm software to store, manage and make available online, these fabulous collections of highly valued materials.
The 'First World War Poetry Archive' builds on the success of the University's existing Wilfred Owen archive, already referenced by teachers and researchers worldwide. Highlights of the collection include poems, maps, letters and diaries from various eminent 'front line' poets. The works of Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas, Robert Graves, Isaac Rosenberg, Vera Brittain and Roland Leighton appear alongside other contextual and teaching resources such as photographs, audio and film material.
In addition the University's 'Great War Archive' website brings together thousands of digital images of items submitted by members of the public. The majority of these images are of treasured family heirlooms which have never been on 'public display' until now.
Obviously due to the nature of these materials they were previously widely dispersed and in very fragile condition. They needed to be digitized in order to preserve, improve usability and widen access - delivering the collections digitally via the Web.
After assessing various solutions available, the University chose and implemented OCLC's CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management Software because of its flexibility as a system for the delivery of digital collections to the Web.
"We chose CONTENTdm as it best suited our requirements for customisation and the many ways in which data can be exported" explains Michael Loizou, Oxford University's Technical Lead.
Kate Lindsay, Oxford University's Project Leader expands "The Great War is arguably the most resonant period in modern British history. These memorabilia and poetry archives will provide easy access to an unrivalled collection of material which will be of use to anyone interested in getting closer to this world-changing conflict... One of the main reasons for building these archives with CONTENTdm is its versatility in the types of media that it can handle. Our requirements for these archives were very demanding. We invested time working with and customising CONTENTdm to meet these needs, that the system supports this is one of its main benefits."
Anyone interested in viewing these archives can do so by visiting
www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/.
Guide to the Archives of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Now Available for the First Time in Digital, Fully-Searchable Formats ~
Guide to the Archives of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
The AOTF Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health is pleased to announce that the finding aid to the archives of the AOTA - the special collection housed in the AOTF Wilma L. West Library - is now available through a unique URL - and as a Microsoft Word document located on the AOTF Institute blog.
AOTF makes the Guide to the Archives of the AOTA available publicly as part of its mission to honor the past and be the best possible steward of the unique body of knowledge that is occupational therapy. To this end, AOTF warmly welcomes individuals from within and beyond occupational therapy to explore the guide and consider using the archives for purposes of research, education, and leadership. Individuals who hold a subscription to OT Search can access over 1000 photos drawn from the archives.
The original hardcopy of this guide was prepared by Inci Bowman, with the assistance of Barbara Scherer. This new electronic version was designed by Rachel Goldman, AOTF Institute Intern, and includes substantial updates prepared by Mindy Hecker, AOTF Director of Information Resources and the Wilma L. West Library and Mary Binderman, consultant.
As the Guide describes, the Archives of the AOTA date from 1917 and include:
·correspondence and early reprints of the founders of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy;
·minutes and reports from the AOTA's governing boards, the Delegate/Representative Assembly, councils and committees;
·records generated by AOTA's national office staff; minutes and or proceedings from annual and midyear meetings;
·early legislation and grants important to the development of occupational therapy;
·reports and publications from early occupational therapy schools and programs;
·records and correspondence concerning AOTA's interaction with other organizations and agencies;
·photographs of the AOTA's leaders, of significant events in its history, and of occupational therapists working with patients in various settings; and
·audio and visual material representing the history of occupational therapy and the specific work of several leaders in the field.
For more information, and/or to schedule a visit to consult the archives, please contact:
Jeffrey S. Reznick, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health
American Occupational Therapy Foundation
4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220
Bethesda, MD 20824-1220
Tel: 301.652.6611, x2555
jreznick@aotf.org
Archives Technician job opening - Closes 12/9/08
NCAN08136638: ARCHIVES TECHNICIAN 12/09/08
AFIP GS-1741-7
NCAN08136638D: ARCHIVES TECHNICIAN 12/09/08
AFIP GS-1741-7
The second is open to the general public while the first is for current government employees.
ALL APPLICANTS WHO WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE VACANCIES ON THIS LIST MUST APPLY
ONLINE ( http://www.cpol.army.mil ). You can also view additional vacancies at this website. Once on the search
page, you can either search for vacancies by selecting District of Columbia for the “State” search, or enter the following in the Search-Announcement box: NCAN%.
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Vacancy Announcement Number: NCAN08136638D
Opening Date: November 26, 2008
Closing Date: December 09, 2008
Position:
Archives Technician, GS-1421-7
Salary:
$39,330 - $51,124 Annual
Place of Work:
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Office of Director, Collections Division, Washington, DC 20307
Position Status:
This is a Permanent position. -- Full Time
Number of Vacancy: 1
DEPARTMENT OF ARMY RANKED ONE OF THE TOP TEN FEDERAL WORKPLACES FOR 2007!
Duties: Serve as Assistant Archivist for the National Museum of Health and Medicine, responsible for receipt, accessioning, classification, coding, filing, custody, dia-typing 35mm slides, loan and furnishing of medical illustration material.Apply extensive knowledge of medical terminology; photographic processes; subject matter contained in files; and principles of cataloging, filing and use of reference materials. Assist the Archivist with plans for the operation of the division. Determines organization of work which most effectively achieves objectives. Establishes policies for identification, preservation and use of materials.Determines most effective utilization of space.Based on broad experience with and knowledge of medical subject matter in files, carry out extensive searches for and select materials to fill requests. Consider entitlement of requester to photographic materials in accordance with policy and regulations; advises requesters of procedures whereby copies may be purchased.
About the Position: PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Work is mostly sedentary; however, work requires some physical effort for organizing, sorting, moving, and transferring boxes of records. Employee will be required to lift and move boxes weighing up to 40 pounds.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is performed in an office setting.
Who May Apply: (Click on Who May Apply)
· All U. S. citizens and Nationals with allegiance to the United States.
Qualifications: Click on link below to view qualification standard.
General Schedule
· The ideal candidate for this position will have the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
Knowledge of archival principles and practices, theory, and techniques sufficient to plan, implement, and maintain, a nation-wide historical document collection program for the U.S. Army and Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
A professional knowledge of historical research methodology is used to assist historian and activity directors in planning and conducting historical studies. Ability to analyze data, draw logical conclusions, and present findings.
Knowledge of public and private documents is used to advise and refer requesters to further sources of information in cases where the resources of the Institute are inadequate to ensure complete and accurate response. Knowledge of the existence and location of applicable record information in obscure or unlikely sources is regularly applied.
Knowledge of the Federal Laws and Army regulations governing the creation, organization, use and disposition of official and historical records.
· GS-07: One year of experience directly related to the occupation equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement; or equivalent combinations of experience and education.
· The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened for the Office of Personnel Management's basic qualifications requirements, and the skills needed to perform the duties of this position as described in this vacancy announcement.
· Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must meet the Time in Grade Restriction.
· Education can be substituted for experience. Review the qualification requirements for specific information.
· One year of experience in the same or similar work equivalent to at least the next lower grade or level requiring application of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position being filled.
· Must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade (or equivalent).
· Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html
· Demonstrated work experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
· The related work experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level.
· Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please include this information in your resume.
Other Information:(Click on Other Information)
· To successfully claim veteran's preference, your resume/supplemental data must clearly show your entitlement. Please review the information listed under the Other Requirements link on this announcement or review our on-line Job Application Kit.
· The Department of Defense (DoD) policy on employment of annuitants issued March 18, 2004 will be used in determining eligibility of annuitants. The DoD policy is available on http://www.cpms.osd.mil/fas/staffing/pdf/rem_ann.pdf
· Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
· Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are not authorized.
· The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commissions recommendations have been approved. This vacancy exists in an organization that is affected by BRAC.
Other Advantages: All federal agencies in the National Capital Region offer qualified employees a monthly stipend as a transit or vanpool subsidy to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. Generally, staff members who take part must give up their parking permits to receive the subsidy. Federal (civil service) employees who use public transportation or van pools to Walter Reed are entitled to a free MetroChek pass which can be used to save up to $105 per month in transit costs.
Other Requirements:(Click on Other Requirements)
· Personnel security investigation required.
· A medical examination is required.
· You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
· Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
· Direct Deposit of Pay is Required.
· Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in the vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
· One year trial/probationary period may be required.
How to Apply: (Click on How to Apply)
· Resumes must be received by the closing date of this announcement.
· Self-nomination must be submitted by the closing date.
· Resume must be on file in our centralized database.
· Announcements close at 12:00am (midnight) Eastern Time.
If your resume is currently in our central database, you may click here to Self Nominate
Click here to use the Army Resume Builder to create your resume. Follow the instructions in this vacancy announcement to apply for the job.
Point of Contact: Central Resume Processing Center, 410-306-0137, applicanthelp@cpsrxtp.belvoir.army.mil
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Fort Detrick 1957 Evacuation Plan
Oldtimers at the museum and others with some time in DC will recall John Ptak and his incredible rare/antique science bookstore in Georgetown. John departed DC in 2002 and has apparently moved to Asheville, NC, His blog discusses "unusual connections in the history of science and mathematics with the arts and social history." boingboing.net highlighted a post on the blog describing a 1957 letter from a Colonel Leslie Moore to an unnamed "key" scientist at Ft. Detrick detailing the procedure to get the heck out of town before the nuke hit. The letter instructs the scientist to show up at the control point alone with the document on his person. Makes one long for the days of hunkering down under your school desk.
Ptak donated items to the museum collection, including the unique Princeton collection of dissected animal heads. The museum also has many items from Fort Detrick, including an autoclave the size of a Humvee.
No memories leads to thanks
For the next 55 years, Mr. Henry Gustav Molaison cooperated with researchers seeking to understand how memory worked. While he passed away this week, he'll long be remembered in neurology studies - and perhaps in a museum too. "Dr. Corkin arranged, too, to have his brain preserved for future study, in the same spirit that Einstein’s was, as an irreplaceable artifactof scientific history."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Upcoming book
In the meantime, we still need photographs of the base from the 1970s-1990s. If you were at Walter Reed and have pictures, let us know.
Who writes this stuff anyway?
Sadly, some losses
And STIL Casing Solutions (whom we bought 16mm film cans from for our eventual film project) sent an email telling me that André Pion, the person who I usually dealt with and just talked to a couple of weeks ago about new DVD cases, passed away too.
We regret to announce the death of our colleague and friend André Pion, who passed away last Tuesday evening from septicaemia (blood poisoning). Death’s irrevocable nature makes it very difficult to accept, but at the same time reminds us of how priceless life is.
We will remember him for his unquestioned integrity, intellectual honesty and his devotion to his work, and also for the gifts of his friendship and humour. He cared deeply for each person he talked with, he loved his work and felt privileged to be able to do something he loved every day.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Surgical Photographs
However, some of these photos were displayed at the 1876 World Exposition in Philadelphia and it was then that modesty prevailed. Or, rather, as Mike and J.T.H. Connor wrote in Shooting Soldiers: Civil War Medical Images, Memory, and Identity in America, it appeared that the issue was less about protecting the men's identity and modesty than it was about not offending the potential audience.
In any case, we have more than one version of some of these photos: those with fig leaves and those without, and I've been going through the 400 in the collection to make sure that all versions were uploaded.
Not all of the photos are of soldiers, though. Here's one of a young boy who was shot in the head with a shotgun. It's called Successful Operation of Trephining of Cranium for Gunshot Injury.
And here's the case history:
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A couple of pictures
New exhibit
The exhibit is contained in one wall-mounted cabinet and is called Facial Reconstruction. We have really cool and interesting plaster models and they're what make up the bulk of the cabinet. Here are four on them on a cart, waiting to go into the cabinet. They're various stages of one person's reconstruction.
Here are two of the three guys working on the cabinet.
They used the line of the bottom row of models (the ones shown on a cart above) to mark a line for the next row up. Here's that bottom row being hung.
Here's the exhibits guy using a spiffy, bendy thing on the drill to make a hole for the next row up.
A test fit on the second row.
Here's a close-up of them on a cart.
The models are all safely tucked away again and the labels are installed.
Here are a couple different models, both from World War 1. The first one shows a nasal splint after the surgeon rebuilt his nose from a flap of skin from his forehead. Note the scar.
This one shows an appliance used to keep his fractured upper jaw aligned correctly within his face.
This is a more contemporary model. This man sustained a severe head injury and a portion of his skull was removed to allow his swollen brain to expand. A CT scan of his head allowed the doctors to create a resin model of his skull and then make a cranial plate based on a mirror image of the undamaged side of his skull. This view shows a portion of the skull removed. It's art, isn't it?
And finally, the finished exhibit. Ta-Da!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Browsing
I did find, however, some interesting pictures about blindness, and here they are.
Reeve 870, A blinded French soldier, World War 1
Reeve 871, A blinded French soldier and his bride, World War 1
AEF007 (American Expeditionary Forces)
Blind French soldiers, patients in the department organized by Miss Winnifred Hope for the re-education of the blind. Base Hospital number 115, Hotel Ruhl. Base Laboratory Hospital Center Vichy, France. 08/1918[?].
Reeve 14494: American Red Cross workrooms. Paris, Seine, France. Stitching eye bandages on the machine in the American Red Cross workrooms for surgical dressings, rue de la Faisanderie, Paris. These bandages are used largely for gas cases.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Audio Tour at the NMHM
St Elizabeths hospital history
Monday, November 24, 2008
Telemedicine from the first world
New upload to the Internet Archive
It sounds kind of boring. All right, it sounds really boring, but when you read it you have to say to yourself, "what were they thinking?" It's self-described as a guide "designed to minimize the amount of radiation to which persons are exposed during the use of fluoroscopic shoe fitting devices." In other words, shoe stores had x-ray machines that you stuck your feet in (and our museum has one of them (the machine, not the feet)) to see how well your shoes fit. I dunno, when I was a kid the salesman used to press down on the toe of the new prospective shoes and ask if I could feel it.
Anyway, you can see this guide here.
Blackhawk as sickbed reading, circa 1951
Here's a picture that one of the assistant archivists brought to my attention today. This poor guy has a gunshot wound of his lower femur (shown with a Blackhawk comic book on the bed) during the Korean War, 1951.
Scanned on a computer old enough to require a scuzzy port to connect to the scanner, copied to a cd and then carried home to be uploaded to Flickr and blogged about.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Photos aren't us continued again
Oddly enough, Australian papers rather than American ones seem to have picked the story up and here's one. This earlier Wired article says:
The problem, according to a second Army e-mail, was prompted by a "virus called Agent.btz." That's a variation of the "SillyFDC" worm, which spreads by copying itself to thumb drives and the like. When that drive or disk is plugged into a second computer, the worm replicates itself again — this time on the PC. "From there, it automatically downloads code from another location. And that code could be pretty much anything," says Ryan Olson, director of rapid response for the iDefense computer security firm. SillyFDC has been around, in various forms, since July 2005. Worms that use a similar method of infection go back even further — to the early '90s. "But at that time they relied on infecting floppy disks rather than USB drives," Olson adds.
So this is a problem that dates back 2 decades and was apparently addressed by anti-viruses, but this is the current response. Personally I think there's a second underlying reason and this virus is just the current cover story. However, USB ports and the Internet are the way computers work now - as much as the military would like to, they're not going to be able to singlehandedly reset technology to 1995 nor return the Internet to a DARPAnet.
I put in a request to have my scanner port opened again, but I honestly do not expect to get a response. At some point, probably right about now, having computers on the military's network will be too much trouble and I'll pull them all to stand alone. People can just go back to telephoning with their requests - which we will then be able to actually fulfill.
Friday, November 21, 2008
More discoveries
The initial photo of Albert Bauer, a soldier wounded in World War 1:
The first medical illustration demonstrating the surgical procedure used to correct it:
And the continuation of the procedure:
I haven't come across the final picture but hope I do. I'd really like to see the finished reconstruction.
Osler photos
The William Osler Photo Collection
The McGill Library is pleased to launch The William Osler Photo Collection, a searchable and browsable website of 384 images drawn from the Osler Library’s collection of photographs of Sir William Osler (1849-1919), who graduated from Medicine at McGill University in 1872 and, after a brief interval, taught there for ten years. He went on to the University of Pennsylvania (1884-1889), Johns Hopkins (1889-1905) and finally became Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford and one of the most famous doctors in his time. There are photographs from all stages of his life, along with pictures of Lady Osler, his son Edward Revere Osler and other family members. The site was made possible by a generous donation from the John P. McGovern Foundation.
The url is http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/osler/